


Venti Vidi Vici

by Trilies



Series: Venti Vidi Vici [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Awkward Flirting, Background Relationships, Background Ship - Dedue Molinaro/Annette Fantine Dominic/Ashe Duran/Mercedes von Martritz, Background Ship - Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier, Background Ship - Hilda Valentine Goneril/Marianne von Edmund, Background Ship - Leonie Pinelli/Lorenz Hellman Gloucester, Condoms, Dating, Dirty Talk, Discussion of Past Loss, Domestic, Día de los Muertos | Day of the Dead, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Marching Band, Mental Health Issues, Protests, Schizophrenia, Texting, social justice on the side
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:08:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 177,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21983425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trilies/pseuds/Trilies
Summary: "One venti Americano with an extra shot of expresso and a pump of vanilla. You want anything else?""You."Dimitri didn't mean to hit on the attractive cashier at the coffee shop. Now that he has, however... He has to exile himself. Forever. He can't show his face in that place ever again. Fortunately, his friends manage to convince him not to do that. That doesn't mean he's any better prepared for when he gets a text from that attractive cashier only a few nights later.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan
Series: Venti Vidi Vici [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1820122
Comments: 486
Kudos: 837





	1. picking up more than coffee

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lymmea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lymmea/gifts), [adilia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/adilia/gifts).



The guy is blond, blue eyed, a whole head taller than Claude, and carting around the kind of murderous death aura (accessorized with an expression to match!) that has been making the other people in line incredibly nervous for the last five minutes before he ever came up to the counter. Claude's first thought is _What is this guy's problem? He's freaking out the whole cafe_. Then, proving both his highly questionable taste and ability to rapidly take in lots of information at once, his second thought is _A shame, honestly, he's kind of hot_. Because he's a professional and has the kind of customer service smile that even other people in retail can't beat, what leaves Claude's actual mouth is, "Hey there, welcome to Golden Deer~. How can I help you today?" Claude makes a note to turn on the charm, if only to make this guy ease up so that the other customers don't call the cops.  
  
Despite his sterling reputation and retail-demanded acting skills, the glare on the guy's face only seems to get all the more pronounced and stormy. Enough, in fact, to make the person behind him shift backwards a step just a little uneasily. That's a rare one. Usually even the grumpiest people can't find fault with his radiant little smiles. Still, it _does_ happen... The guy answers swift and short, "Can I get a venti Americano with an extra shot of expresso and a pump of vanilla?"  
  
No frills, no nonsense. Claude revises his mental plan. Might be best just to get his hot and grumpy murderer-in-waiting through the line as quick as possible, make everyone happy. "Sure!" he replies, still putting on an air of casual ease. It doesn't escape him that he's probably the only person in the cafe acting as such, but that's fine. He's used to being the more relaxed party in the room at any given time... for any number of reasons. His fingers flick across the register screen as light as he pretends to be. "One venti Americano with an extra shot of expresso and a pump of vanilla. You want anything else?" Yet he hasn't even finished the sentence when he sees the faintest shake of the man's head, and Claude is already moving the process along as the card reader lights up-  
  
"You."  
  
Claude doesn't realize what's been said, for a second. How could he? The guy is already swiping his card through the reader even as he says it; it's not the action of a person who's consciously hit on the cashier of his local coffee shop. Claude pauses for a split second, trying to figure out if he misheard somehow only to immediately come to the conclusion that, no, no way, he absolutely didn't. In the same split second that he comes to that realization, his observation is almost _immediately_ validated by the very guy responsible. They're right in front of each other; Claude has a front row seat to every little reaction. He gets to see the guy's hand jerks to a stop right out of the card reader, the utter stillness that falls across those perfectly broad shoulders, and how that glare finally disappears into thin air to be replaced by a blank-faced but wide-eyed look that carries about half a dozen different emotions in the blend that all seem to add up to _horrified embarrassment_.  
  
It's not exactly _strange_ for him to get flirted with at his job, by all genders. Sometimes Claude even reciprocates, if he thinks it's harmless enough or if the other party seems interesting. Sometimes he has to call security. Every time, the flirt is always on purpose.  
  
That someone could flirt _accidentally_ , all while looking like he would snap Death's neck himself, is certainly a new one. Later, Claude might even be impressed by himself. Right now, he doesn't even know how he wants to respond-  
  
But good news, he doesn't have to. His Grumpiness makes the decision on this whole encounter all by himself, hastily typing in his PIN to the card reader. "That's all," he says, voice strained and- is that a blush? That's a _blush_ spreading across his face, and it's amazing what a little bit of red can do to change an expression. Oh, he's still a huge muscular guy with bags under his eye who looks like he could break someone's jaw... but he's a _cute_ one, shoving his card back into his wallet hastily.  
  
"Alright then," Claude says, having decided with that alone as he tears off the receipt with an easy snap of his wrist. Yet before he can take this intriguing if risky little jump, the receipt is taken from his hand in a heart beat. Just like that, the guy is gone- moving at the fastest Claude has seen someone go without moving into a full on sprint. For a few seconds, he's left just standing there with his retail mask off and a look of blank surprise reigning instead. He recovers quickly, of course, and he makes the americano just in case.... But tall, blond, and intimidating doesn't come back to get it. Claude takes the drink for himself on his break, sipping it lazily and in no particular rush.  
  
Funny. He's had people buy him drinks before... but usually they come with a phone number attached. He doesn't even know the guy's name.  
  
  
  
  
  
"I can't go back to that cafe," Dimitri says, breathless and partially slumped against the door frame. "I've shamed my entire existence."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure it wasn't _that_ bad," Mercedes says with the patient and relaxed cheer that they've all come to know for the last few years. It's good that she's speaking up, because the rest of them are still wondering what on earth could have happened for a simple _coffee run_. At least, that's what Sylvain is wondering as he watches her go over to where Dimitri has his face in his hands. With how Dimitri still has a stick in him after all these years- and Sylvain has known him since they were kids, the stick might be a full grown tree by now- it probably isn't that bad. All he can muster up is faint amusement as he continues to help put up a row of succulents that will survive Mercedes' gaps in memory. And if gaps are too large and unconquerable, well, that's why Dedue exists.  
  
"So no drink for Ashe today then, huh?" he says teasingly, which earns an elbow to his side from Ingrid, where she's right next to him putting up the books. Together, they're making Mercedes and Co.'s new apartment space seem almost cozy, despite Dimitri's flustered breakdown.  
  
Ashe himself looks embarrassed at being called out. "I said he didn't have to go get anything.... So it's fine, really." Instead of taking the teasing in stride, that just prompts him to go over to where Mercedes has ushered Dimitri into a beanbag chair where he looks _hilariously_ out of place.  
  
Well, it seems like decorating a new apartment will have to wait! Sylvain cheerfully abandons succulent duty even as he flashes Ingrid a smile that says _What, shouldn't we comfort our disaster stick in the mud friend during his time of embarrassing need?_ Her flat look of exasperation says she doesn't believe him at all, but that's fine. She doesn't _stop_ him, which is the important thing. Yet by the time he joins the little beanbag crew, he's apparently _already_ late to the party. Mercedes has an expression of blank faced puzzlement as she absorbs whatever Dimitri has just whispered to her, and Ashe has overhead enough to feel the need to rub the back of his neck. "I mean, if it was only that, maybe you could say that you mispoke?" Ashe suggests. "How much did you say?"  
  
"Just- that. Just 'you'." Dimitri's grimace is bad enough to be more of a silent snarl than anything. "I had already shaken my head, I didn't need to _open my mouth_ -"  
  
To the dismay of many people, Sylvain is in fact pretty quick on the draw. Dismay because, while he could use his intelligence for a great many things that would do good to the world or even just his immediate surroundings... He instead pieces together his friend's atrocious social skills, the red on his face, and the basic mundane repetition of every food service joint in the world (coffee shops included) to make up the picture of what embarrassing mess Dimitri stumbled into. Even then, he almost doesn't believe it, having to ask incredulously, "Wait, you actually *flirted* with someone? In public?"  
  
At least a couple different someones give him an exasperated and annoyed look, but Dimitri isn't one of them. He only stares in mortified horror down at the floor. "He was the _cashier_ ," he confirms in a hushed whisper. "What was I _thinking_ \- Sylvain!" At least the sound of laughter finally gets Dimitri to look up at him, although his face is nothing if not even more red. "I am _dying_. I am dead from my own shameless actions. Please have respect for the deceased."  
  
"Hey, there's no need to act like that," Sylvain says, grinning. He's got to act fast if he doesn't want Ingrid to scold him, after all. "Besides, isn't this a good thing?" Folding his hands behind his head, he shrugs. "You're always being told that you need to go and see new people instead of sticking with the same friends you've known since _kindergarten_ , especially lately. Even your therapist agrees, right? So you could almost view this as a good first step, reaching out like that."  
  
"That wasn't _reaching out_ ," Dimitri protests. "I _flirted at him_. At his job!"  
  
"Oh, that's hardly a big deal. I've flirted with people when they've been on the clock plenty of times."  
  
"Which you never should have," Ingrid says, finally giving up on organizing things when everyone else in the apartment isn't bothering anymore. Walking over, she frowns at Sylvain. "There's a time and place for flirting, and doing it while someone has to pretend they like you no matter what is not that time. I agree with Dimitri." Reaching over, she pats their favorite blond disaster on the shoulder. "Still... You know what you did was inappropriate. Ashe is on the right track, in apologizing and saying you misspoke. It... isn't even technically a lie!"  
  
Sometimes, listening to his friends is... Well, none of them are really having the _wrong_ idea, especially for someone like Dimitri, Sylvain has to admit. He even knows, just by looking at the guy's face, that Dimitri would 100% do it, along with all the overly stiff apologies he could offer. A lot has changed since they were kids, and since they were all teenagers, but that aspect of him hasn't changed at all. It just... really seems like a waste. So, before Dimitri can really _commit_ to this whole idea, Sylvain says, "Listen, let's go back to the very start. Who said you had to never go back to that cafe?"  
  
Dimitri thins his lips. "He _works_ there, Sylvain."  
  
"Yeah, but he doesn't _live_ there," he counters casually enough. "Listen, it's kind of ridiculous to avoid an entire cafe just because you embarrassed yourself in front of _one_ guy there. Until you can work up the courage for a nice apology, you can still keep going there, just, you know, on his days off."  
  
The gears in Dimitri's head are almost visibly turning as he stares up at Sylvain, trying to figure out what possible way he's being had here. His friend of many years is occasionally oblivious, to the point that he still doesn't know he was being flirted at for an entire year, but he's not an idiot. He's one of the few people in the world who knows that Sylvain isn't as dumb as he kind of wishes he was sometimes. "There's no possible way I could know that."  
  
"So you just need someone who does! Or who can find out." Sylvain winks. "Which is a task I'll happily volunteer for. Besides, it'll be good to get an idea of how he reacted to your little stunt, right? Because, no offense meant, Dimitri... But you can be a little _ridiculous_ sometimes. Don't want to go full ham with an apology if he doesn't feel it was a big deal, right? Ooooor, alternatively, if he never wants to see your face again, going into hiding might actually be the better apology."  
  
The gears are still turning, but a little slower this time as Dimitri lets himself be convinced, all the moreso when Mercedes clasps her hands together. "That could work too, you know. Apologies can have the opposite effect if they're too much or too little, so it never hurts to check!" There's Ashe, giving an encouraging nod of his own too, and if Ingrid is humming in wary thought because she knows him almost better than anyone, well... She's still outnumbered.  
  
At the very least, she doesn't say anything before Dimitri does, who gives a tentative nod. "If it would be no trouble..."  
  
"Hey, Ashe says the place is really good all the time anyway. Having some of the food there might be worth the visit! Anyway, did you get his name? What he looks like, at the very least."  
  
That kind of thing might work on Dimitri, who either wants to believe the best in people or has lost all hope in humanity, no inbetween, but Ingrid is a little harder to get one over. As they all go back to unpacking Mercedes' various knick-knacks, Dimitri apologizing to Ashe in the process, she leans in closer with a suspicious squint. "Are you really planning to go down to the Golden Deer purely as a helping hand?"  
  
"So suspicious!" he protests, before giving up the act. Better to come clean before she makes something big out of it. "Anyway, aren't you curious? It's been ages since he's been interested in _anyone_. I almost thought he was making plans to join a nunnery and commit himself to God alone. What kind of person got through to a guy that thick?"  
  
" _Sylvain_!" The scolding might be hissed out, but she doesn't exactly deny it.  
  
This is going to be a ride.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hey there- oh, nice, you guys do seasonal lattes. Let's see..."  
  
The redhead is the only guy in line right now, busting up a bit of quiet time in the shop, so Claude doesn't really mind letting him peruse the menu. He just flashes him a quick friendly smile. "Hey, take your time~. I've got nowhere else to be." Finishing off the banter with a slight laugh, he takes in this newest customer. Definitely not a regular- Claude would recognize anyone this handsome in that particular shade of red. What's most interesting, however, besides the good looks, is how he's being looked over _himself_ in turn, with those eyes quickly finding his name tag.  
  
Making his choice fairly quickly, the redhead leans back with his hands in his pocket. "How about a venti chai tea latte? A little extra cinnamon and definitely a little more chai, if you can manage it."  
  
"A guy who likes a little bit of spice burning down the throat, huh?" Claude chuckles, waiting even as he places the order. "Want anything else?"  
  
Just like he rather figured he would, the redhead leans into the counter a little bit, smiling with an easy confidence Claude can recognize. "You, if you're on the menu."  
  
The flirting, he expected. That exact line, after only a couple of days of hearing a much clumsier attempt...? That makes him pause for a half second, wondering if there's an article going around on pick up attempts that he hasn't heard about, before Claude rolls with it. "I'm more of a free sample type," he teases, taking the flirt for the answer it is and ringing up redhead's receipt. "You getting the rest of the dish depends on some things. A more original pick up line, for starters."  
  
There's no offense. In fact, there's the exact opposite as redhead laughs and slides his card through the reader. "Because a guy used it on you earlier, right? Would he have gotten docked for originality too?"  
  
Well well well. The plot thickens. "Rumors sure do spread fast," Claude says, playing it cool even with his curiosity thoroughly peaked. "Although, with how fast that guy ran out on me, I didn't think he'd be the one to spread them."  
  
Exasperation crosses over the redhead's face, and he holds his hands out to his sides to accompany his shrug. "Yeah, his flirting skills really do have a lot to be desired, although, really, this isn't the _worst_ he's ever been. You're honestly as lucky as you are cute." He winks. "But I should introduce myself. Name's Sylvain. I thought I would take a look at who got my buddy flustered for the first time in honestly forever. Really, being affected by cute people at _all_ in forever."  
  
"Well?" Smirking right back, Claude takes a step away from the counter for a better view and cocks his head to the side. "Am I worth the visit?"  
  
"Worth it and then some. If the coffee is as good as the service, then I'm not sure I'll ever want to leave." Pushing himself away from the counter, Sylvain laughs. "But I should probably let you work on that coffee first before I make any calls on _that_." Unlike his apparent buddy, Sylvain doesn't run right out the door. Instead, he does what is indeed the normal person thing, and goes to sprawl out at one of the tables while he flicks through his phone. Claude doesn't doubt that, despite the teasing in regards to their mutual blond, Sylvain was serious when he was flirting. Still, he doesn't push, because he _is_ on the clock. In fact, he's pretty sure he won't need to....  
  
Something he's proven right on when he finishes up the latte. Once he calls for Sylvain to get it, the redhead comes up to him with his phone prepped and at the ready. "Mind if I take a picture of you?" He waggles his phone. "Another friend of ours can't believe he made a move on someone either, and I want to get a picture to show her. She won't admit she's curious, but I know she's _dying_ of it."  
  
Pretty roundabout but at least up front way of asking for his picture; Claude rolls with it. "Is it really so surprising for him to make a move on anyone?" he asks in amusement, holding up the drink in one hand and flashing a peace sign with the other. Once the shot is clearly done, he slides the drink across to him.  
  
"It may surprise you but he is in fact occasionally bad at people," Sylvain says, reaching forward. Instead of just accepting his drink, however, he does something else- he slides something into Claude's hand at the same time. Raising an eyebrow, Claude looks down to a thin strip of paper with a series of numbers written, and a single name: _Dimitri_. "But I'm not, and we _have_ been friends for a long time... So I thought I would do him a favor." Drink in hand, Sylvain shrugs. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to! You can even throw it in the trash if you want. But it's there, if you were wondering what the deal with him is." His relaxed grin shifts a little bit, a bit more purposeful to match his wink. "Of course, if he's not your type, then _I'm_ always available. I will say this for Dimitri- he definitely has great taste." And with that last bit of flirting done with... He makes his way out of the shop. Sure enough, on the back of the same strip of paper is another number completely different from the other one, and with a simple 'S' signing it off.  
  
"It's such a chore, being so popular," Hilda says when she hears about the whole thing later that night in their shared apartment, sighing with a little bit of drama before she perks right up to drape across Claude's shoulder. They're both huddled in the living room, a laptop on the coffee table that they're both perusing. "Anyway, this is what I found online, take a look."  
  
"I always knew I could count on you to dig up all the social media dirt, Hilda," he says fondly, crossing his legs to make himself comfortable as he leans into her space as well. "Sylvain Gautier, huh? _Fancy_."  
  
"You know, that's really funny coming from you of all people."  
  
No one can say that Sylvain isn't a popular and busy guy; Claude knew he had seen a kindred spirit in him. His various pieces of social media are _flourishing_ , from a feel-good Instagram account that's so well done that Claude has to give it credit, to a Facebook which is filled with all sorts of friendly pictures and silly little joke posts. Anyone else might not see it as a big deal, but Claude can recognize when things are kept lowkey neutral and utterly relaxed. He has similar accounts on various other sites that are connected with his name, just in case future or current employers might go looking. (Or future dates, in Sylvain's case, more likely.) A respectable tactic, honestly. It doesn't escape him, either, just how many different people Sylvain seems so very chummy with in the various pictures he posts. Well, he's not the kind of guy who judges for that. Life is short. Why not spend it having a good time?  
  
After getting a nice solid idea of just what Sylvain is offering- not even what he's _like_ , but what he's offering to the general public and anyone also looking for a good time- Claude starts scrolling down through the _giant_ public friends list on his page. "Now lets see..."  
  
Hilda spares a glance up from her own phone, where she'd been grinding for coin on Cat Game. "What's up?"  
  
"Sylvain said him and Dimitri are friends. If they're really friends, then they should be friended on at least _one_ piece of social media. It's just a matter of figuring out which ones."  
  
In the case of Sylvain and Dimitri, the plural aspect of that sentence might have to be taken out. Twitter? No connection. Instagram? Not even the slightest trace. As is often the case, it all comes down to Facebook trawling, and that's where Claude finally finds some measure of victory when Dimitri's name pops up. When he clicks on that name, Hilda makes a faintly offended noise. "There's _nothing_ on this guy!"  
  
She's not entirely wrong. The page for "Dimitri Blaiddyd" isn't empty, by any means, not exactly. It's just clearly not been touched in _five years_ , judging by the time stamp. Even during that time, a lot of the posts seem to be almost pretty basic- the same kind of attempt at keeping a good image that Claude had recognized in Sylvain's social media but done in a much more bland and almost overly serious way. They're sporadic in terms of date, which Claude suspects were when he forgot to post something on his own feed, and almost more like simple notes on his life. Things like happy birthdays to various friends (all mutuals to Sylvain, he sees), or mentions of going to some community event or another. At least, while the words are stiff and almost uneasy in some ways, the pictures Dimitri posted some five years ago are a little bit nicer and probably the most genuine thing there. Images like the view from a bridge at dawn, various shots throughout seasons all around the city, and the occasional long-distance and equally _longing_ snap of some street cat.  
  
There are, notably, absolutely zero pictures of Dimitri himself anywhere on his own page, or at least any that he's volunteered of his own accord. For _that_ , Claude has to check where he's been tagged, and that seems to most happen on the pages of either Sylvain or the mutual friends that the two seem to share. (He makes a mental thanks to a pair of girls named Mercedes and Annette, who seem to post almost more than Sylvain does, and a lot more honestly too.) In contrast to Dimitri having not touched his Facebook for over five years, his friends have all gladly picked up the slack. So much as in the last week, even! Mercedes and Annette post dozens of pictures of the two of them moving to a new apartment, most of them inconsequential to Claude's internet snooping, and the ones Dimitri _does_ show up in seem to be with him in the background. If Claude didn't know better of the man who accidentally flirted with him and then ran away because of it, he _might_ even go as far as to say that Dimitri prefers staying out of the spotlight. He's always in the background, or with other people. Still... Even those pictures manage to capture something different from the man who'd radiated a quiet promise of murder in a perfectly quaint little coffee shop. The bags under his eye are still present, but he seems calmer in most photos and even almost at ease in a group shot of everyone eating lunch together in a messy yet-to-be-unpacked apartment.  
  
There's one that really gets his attention, however, and Claude pauses. "Holy shit."  
  
"What, what is it?"  
  
"Finish your round of cat blobbing and then look at this. That jacket he wore when he failed at flirting did _not_ do him justice."  
  
The caption for this particular picture reads 《WE GOT THE APARTMENT!!!! thx dimitri!》, and features the two women he's come to know as Mercedes and Annette. Thanks to the wonders of the internet and the prevalence of social media, he almost feels like he knows them pretty well at this point with how much of their stuff he's browsed.... But they aren't who he's focused on. Rather, it's the guy they're _hanging onto_. Dimitri is actually a focal point for once, right between the two women and in fact the main reason that they're upright at all. Annette is posed up along his side, one hand spread out with no small amount of dramatic flair, both feet off the ground entirely, and one of Dimitri's arms holding her up along her back. Mercedes is on his other side, swung down in an equally dramatic dip that Dimitri doesn't seem like he was prepared for but is still managing _astonishingly_ well. The guy in question is wearing a rather plain ensemble... but that's just fine, because he's in a tank top that does a _more_ than fine job of broadcasting just how built he is, muscles in perfect definition with how he has to hold up both women. Everyone is laughing.  
  
Hilda makes a small "ooooh" of approval. "So he doesn't clean up too bad!"  
  
He really doesn't, but it's not because he's actually featuring in a picture instead of avoiding it, or that his shirt really does a sinfully perfect job of outlining his muscles, or that his hair is actually done back in a just-messy-enough ponytail instead of hanging limply around his face. Instead, Claude feels incredibly validated by those second thoughts he'd had when Dimitri had been glowering at him and everyone and God across the counter:  
  
When he's smiling, face flushed with good cheer, lips parted in a smile wide enough for laughter Claude can't hear, eyebrows up in startled but good natured surprise...  
  
Yeah. That glare had put a perfectly good face to waste.  
  
There's probably a lot more snooping he could do tonight, but Claude has things he could be doing instead of spending more than a half hour being _weird_ on the internet. At least, weird in this particular way. Figuring that's enough, he rummages out his own phone along with the strip of paper carrying two numbers on it. Showing she knows him fairly well at this point, Hilda sighs in a way Claude, personally, likes to think is rather fond. "Your taste is horrible as always. I would have just looked up 'hot single ferals in my area' if this is how it was going to be."  
  
Claude laughs at her. "Hey, it doesn't look like he'll kill me in a dark alley. Besides, if he's a little feral and bites, well... I'm into that."  
  
"Don't get rabies."  
  
"No promises~."  
  
  
  
  
  
↣ hey is this dimitri?  
  
⇀ Yes, it is. Who is this?  
  
↣ blond hair, eyepatch?  
  
⇀ Yes.  
  
↣ hey there! it's claude from golden deer [○´・ω・]ﾉ your friend passed along your number  
  
↣ you never did pick up ur drink  
  
↣ or me (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧  
  
『MESSAGE READ AT 7:27 P.M.』  
  
  
  
  
  
Claude gives him a good ten minutes to come to terms with this fact of life before he squints at his phone. Hilda has her hand to her mouth, trying in vain to hold back her laughter if only so that Lorenz doesn't give them a telling off on disturbing the neighbors. Again. "I hope he didn't have a heart attack and die right there," he mutters at his screen.  
  
"Maybe he got so surprised that he threw his phone at a wall so hard he shattered it."  
  
"If he did, that just makes me want to touch his biceps all the more."  
  
  
  
  
  
Normally, Sylvain would be disappointed that he doesn't have a date on a nice weekend night. Normally, however, he doesn't manage to rope Felix into spending the night at his apartment. And, well. Normally, his phone doesn't explode with about a dozen texts all at once. Well. Not usually normally. He hasn't done anything, recently, that would make it happen. He... thinks. Sylvain desperately tries to remember who he's dated in the past month that might have decided to start something... or maybe had a boyfriend or girlfriend or nbfriend who'd object to his existence. Those ones always came as a sucker punch of a surprise, and Sylvain hates surprises like that in his dating life as it is.  
  
For once, however... It's kind of the opposite of his usual problems. It's so outside what he could possibly have expected, in fact, that Sylvain takes a few seconds to reread the messages over a few times. "WHAT!?"  
  
Felix sticks his head out from the cabinets, one eyebrow raised at an exclamation that loud. "What did you do now?"  
  
Out of all the people Sylvain knows, Felix is one of those who would appreciate and understand his plight the least. Unfortunately for both of them, Felix is the one who's there, so it's Felix's ear that gets the honor of being vented into. Sylvain gives a hopelessly surprised gesture at his phone. "I gave that cashier both of our numbers, and he _actually_ texted Dimitri!? I didn't think he would contact EITHER of us!"  
  
When Sylvain looks over, he can almost visibly see a reboot screen starting up behind Felix's wide eyes. "Wait," he says, voice strangled from an urge to either laugh at Sylvain or sheer incredulity, "someone actually is interested in _him_ for once?"  
  
"That's what I'm saying!"  
  
  
  
  
  
⇀ Sylvain, we need to talk.  
  
⇀ Sylvain, I know you have your phone on you at all times, even when you are taking a shower. Pick up the phone right now.  
  
⇀ This isn't figuring out his work schedule, Sylvain!  
  
⇀ Giving him my number so that he can text me isn't what you said you would do at all!  
  
⇀ I just  
  
⇀ I just expected to take care of this neatly and without anything terrible happening.  
  
⇀ What were you thinking?  
  
⇀ Sylvain  
  
⇀ get on the phone right now sylvain  
  
⇀ i swear to god if I have to come over there then I will  
  
⇀ goddammit  
  
↬ oh wow ok you're actually swearing now  
  
↬ I can tell you're really upset right now dimitri  
  
↬ But i'm here  
  
↬ so  
  
⇀ why  
  
↬ listen i was serious that it was a good thing that you reached out and everything! u never took a first step even in high school  
  
↬ so i thought  
  
↬ hey  
  
↬ why not get a look at this guy and see how he reacts to hearing about u  
  
↬ and he didn't seem horrified at you so i thought a # couldn't hurt  
  
↬ what did he say?  
  
⇀ He introduced himself and referenced my disastrous and shameful display from when I spoke to him.  
  
↬ idt that's exactly what he said but k  
  
↬ what did u say?  
  
⇀ I haven't replied yet.  
  
↬ how long ago did he text u?  
  
『MESSAGE READ AT 7:52 P.M.』  
  
  
  
  
  
"Jeez," Sylvain says quietly to himself, unable and unwilling to stop the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "This is why you had such bad luck dating in high school, Dimitri. But I guess disasters might be this guy's type." Well, there's someone for everyone in the world. It's not necessarily something that might *last*, but there is someone for everyone.  
  
He wishes Dimitri luck anyways. He can't remember the last time their Grumpiness ever took a moment to relax. Maybe a cute coffee shop cashier is just the thing to break through.  
  
Assuming, you know. Dimitri remembers to not leave the cute cashier in question hanging on an un-answered text for.... He'll put his money down on half an hour.  
  
That's some fun new drama that he's sure he'll get to hear all about _later_. For the present current _now_ , Sylvain puts his phone back to the side and smiles over to where Felix is pinching the bridge of his nose in disbelief. "What, is it that surprising?"  
  
"It's most likely because he's tall and blond, but, even with that, I can't believe it."  
  
"Oh, you can't believe it _now_? Wait until I tell you the details."  
  
  
  
  
  
Sometimes, it really astonishes him just how much he can be terrible. Dimitri has always held this low view of himself to some degree, but it's especially bad _now_ as he glowers down at his phone. It takes a second for him to realize his own expression, and he hastily shakes his head. "Breathe," he tells himself quietly, sinking into the chair at his tiny kitchen table. It still seems so dwarfed compared to the overall size of his apartment, compared to _him_. He doesn't feel particularly welcomed by it, but he doesn't need to in order to close his eyes and let out a slow breath. He swears he's going to get back to the message he knows is still waiting for him on his phone. However, it's important he not mess this up. It's important that he not let his temper or his impatience or anything else get in the way. Deep breath. Slow. How it feels filling his lungs, the stretch of muscle, and how it feels leaving him. Just like the Byleths said, for occasions like this. It's okay if he takes another minute.  
  
When his heart has ceased so much rattling in his rib cage, Dimitri opens his eyes again and glances down at his phone. This is fine. It doesn't seem bad yet. He tries to tell himself that, with some mixed degree of success. Maybe Sylvain is right. Maybe Claude isn't as repulsed or insulted as Dimitri had thought he would be.  
  
...He should probably still apologize, however.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Oh, hey," Claude says at a cheerful ping from his phone. "He actually responded."  
  
Hilda doesn't look away from where she's trawling through the dungeons of Hades, pink hearts and sparkles surrounding her hunk of a character. "That only took half an hour. What is he saying?"  
  
"Ha. Well..."  
  
  
  
  
  
⇀ I apologize that it took so long for me to respond to you. I hadn't been told that my number had been given to you, and I didn't expect you to get in contact with me at all.  
  
↣ lol  
  
↣ it's fine  
  
⇀ I also want to apologize for how rude I was when I saw you at the Golden Deer. It was improper of me to say that sort of thing to you while you were on the clock. I wasn't thinking.  
  
↣ if it makes you feel better, you aren't the first  
  
⇀ I can believe that very easily.  
  
↣ charmer (｡◝‿◜｡)  
  
↣ but you don't have to apologize so much  
  
↣ you got me really curious tbh! i wasn't expecting a sudden come on from a guy like you~  
  
⇀ It is not a habit of mine.  
  
⇀ Although there is something I can't help but wonder.  
  
↣ shoot  
  
⇀ Were you serious just now?  
  
↣ about what?  
  
⇀ When you inquired about me picking you up.  
  
⇀ I can't read tone over text very well, so I'm not certain if you were just joking or being serious.  
  
⇀ If it was a joke, then you don't have to concern yourself over me any further.  
  
⇀ I don't want to be a bother to you.  
  
↣ lmao you're really serious you know  
  
↣ well let's see  
  
↣ hmmmmmmm  
  
↣ you seem like a pretty nice guy and you ARE pretty cute  
  
↣ so i wouldn't mind a single date to see how you really are  
  
↣ b/c i've definitely seen more sides of you than i have literally any other person all in the total span of 5 minutes  
  
↣ and that's pretty interesting!  
  
⇀ Is that a good thing?  
  
↣ ～(m~ー~)m it's a mystery!  
  
↣ anyway did you have a date in mind or should i show how serious i really am?  
  
⇀ Please allow me to make up for my embarrassing display when we first met.  
  
⇀ I may just need a little time.  
  
⇀ I hope you understand.  
  
↣ lol ok  
  
⇀ Are you allergic to anything?  
  
⇀ Do you have a preference for dates?  
  
↣ nah lmao  
  
↣ and surprise me ｡ﾟ+.ღ(ゝ◡ ⚈᷀᷁ღ)  
  
  
  
  
  
In perfect harmony, him and Hilda both lean back away from his phone with some satisfaction. At least, he's feeling pretty satisfied with how the conversation went. Hilda goes, "Do you think his idea of a date is murdering you in a sanitized white basement, _or_ taking you to the most bland white bread _artisanal_ restaurant imaginable? Also, which would you prefer?"  
  
"I mean, at least the attempted basement murder would be a new and fun experience," Claude says glibly, finally putting his phone away so that he can crane his neck to see where Hilda is in her game. "Anyway, my chances are, as I view it, 30% boring artisan restaurant, 10% murder, and 60% a potential third option."  
  
"And just what is this mysterious Door Number Three?"  
  
Claude gives a playful wink. "Something interesting."  
  
  
  
  
  
⇀ So I feel that I owe you an apology, Sylvain.  
  
⇀ I should not have snapped at you in the way that I did, let alone let my temper get to the point of swearing.  
  
⇀ I was simply not expecting to deal with this kind of thing, especially when I was under the impression that something else would happen.  
  
⇀ I can understand the good intent behind your actions.  
  
⇀ Thank you for your concern and friendship.  
  
↬ :)  
  
↬ so need help with that date u got?  
  
⇀ However, you still never should have done what you did, and I am still rather annoyed about that.  
  
⇀ So, as punishment, I will not be asking for your assistance in my romantic endeavors.  
  
⇀ You will get no pleasure out of whatever happens in my love life.  
  
↬   
  
↬ but i'm great w/helping plan dates!  
  
⇀ You have a talent for swindling women.  
  
↬ this is w/a guy!  
  
⇀ I have made my decision, Sylvain.  
  
⇀ Have a good night.  
  
↬ dimitri please do not plan a date on ur own  
  
↬ Dimitri, I will even use proper grammar and punctuation. Please don't do that.  
  
『MESSAGE READ AT 8:16 P.M.』  
  
↬ omg  
  
  
  
  
  
Dimitri doesn't plan the date on his own.  
  
He's more than willing to acknowledge his many faults- a bit too willing, maybe, if his therapists are to be believed, which they are. Still, when he can recognize his own weaknesses and not get completely wrapped up in them, he's willing to shore them up. In a lot of cases, that means asking for help. Sylvain really _would_ be the most knowledgeable person to contact in this matter, but Dimitri means what he said. He's not going to give his friend that kind of satisfaction when he's made a mistake like this.  
  
That's how he finds himself, one free afternoon, seated neatly on the couch of his newly made neighbors while Annette cheerfully spreads out a variety of magazines and Ashe clicks through a couple of different websites. Very faintly, Dimitri feels himself wishing that he'd picked a day that Mercedes was off work. "I mean, movies are fairly tried and true," Ashe says, resting his cheek in his palm. "But it doesn't look like there's anything really good showing lately...."  
  
"I'm not particularly a fan of going to the movies anyway... Not for a date." Dimitri shakes his head. "It feels strange to just sit in a dark room, watch something, and then call that an activity you did together.... It feels like a waste of money and time for something as simple as a conversational topic to have later."  
  
"I agree completely," Annette announces, crossing out various things in the magazines. No one can say she doesn't do her best when it comes to helping others out, and Dimitri feels a swell of fondness in his chest. Truly, he doesn't deserve most of the friends he has. "You're definitely far more active anyway, Dimitri, and you should show off your best side for a first date! Oh-" She taps something on a long list featured in some article or another. "What about rock climbing together? That's really interesting."  
  
Ashe and Dimitri consider the suggestion carefully. "It may be a little... much for a very first date?" Ashe offers carefully.  
  
Dimitri nods. "What if he's not someone who likes to exercise so much...? And I would be taking a valuable bit of time off for him.... I don't want him to feel as though he is working more if that isn't what he wants."  
  
Sighing, Annette leans back with her arms crossed. "True... It would have been really helpful if he could have told you what sort of dates he likes. I don't know if he's adventurous or feeling lazy..."  
  
"It's his day off. He should be allowed to feel lazy."  
  
A click of the laptop signals Ashe is continuing his own side of the search. "Bowling might seem too boring, huh..."  
  
Dimitri tries not to be too intrusive as he leans over to look at the list Ashe is browsing now, but, eventually, he can't help but have his gaze drift over to his friend. "What... did all of you do, for your first dates with one another?"  
  
That draws both of them to a pause, and Dimitri is treated to the charming image of two people so absolutely in love looking over to one another, smiling gently, blushing, swept up in soft memories that are only truly shared by each other. He's always been happy to see his dear friends go through such an experience, ever since they all started to stumble into this massive relationship with one another. It's what he's occasionally dreamed of for himself, for many years, and only recently has stopped _completely_ punishing himself over. "Well," Ashe finally says, "I'm not really sure if this is something that your date would be interested in at all, honestly, but... Me and Annette went to a planetarium. It was pretty cheap- not that we're saying you should be cheap! Although perhaps don't go over the top? But, well..." Still blushing and smiling a bit, Ashe shrugs. "It was what worked for both of us, at the time..."  
  
"And it was so much fun!" Annette gushes, holding her hands up and gesturing, her own smile wide. "It wasn't like a packed movie theater or anything, and we were allowed to talk, or ask as many questions as we wanted! There was also plenty of stuff to do afterwards connected to the show, so we just- messed around! And we got to talk about everything, and, well..." She leans back, hands curled up in her lap, and shares another one of those bright smiles with Ashe. "You know! Things happened."  
  
He doesn't know, actually, although he wishes that he did. Dimitri just watches the two of them, smiling a little to himself. Even if he doesn't ever find anything or anyone for himself... At least his friends are happy. That's more important, he thinks. He almost wants to excuse himself so they can have some moments together, even if he hasn't yet gotten an answer on how Mercedes and Dedue factored into all of this. Before he can, Ashe leans forward again. "But maybe that's the kind of activity you should aim for. Something a bit more... open? So it doesn't feel so restrictive!"  
  
"That almost sounds as though it would be a perfect date..." Do things like that exist? Dimitri leans forward to start going through the magazines as well, hoping for some burst of inspiration. Sylvain would probably have the perfect idea if it was something like that... Maybe he was too hasty in refuting any potential help. As he shifts aside some of the magazines, one of them seems out of place- probably picked up purely by accident as Annette was gathering them. One of Dedue's magazines, if Dimitri ever had to guess, and he picks it up to see it a little more clearly. It's a nature magazine, but there's a special article advertised on the very front about the relationship between animals and plants... The focus appears to be a more tropical locale than anything that they would get to see here in the city. Dimitri stares at it for a moment, mind slowly churning, before he turns to where Annette is crossing out more things in one of the magazines.  
  
"Annette, do you think...?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't intend for this to be my first FE3H fanfic? I had something else entirely planned, that I still technically need to edit. I have an entirely *different* fic for another fandom that I actually need to edit and publish. Basically I have a lot of writing I was supposed to be doing, but, ever since I first saw THIS THING RIGHT HERE, BY THE WONDERFUL @adilia, IT'S BEEN HAUNTING ME 
> 
> https://adilia-the-kouhai.tumblr.com/post/189487173958/and-on-that-day-dimitri-died
> 
> it started off low key just because it is one of the funniest comics for these pair of jackasses I know of, but then I couldn't stop thinking about it??? And then one day, my good friend and Claude RPer @lymmea left me alone for an extended period of time, during which the, like.... fic lust??? possessed me???? and out of nowhere I busted out like 4k worth of stupid words for this god damn idea
> 
> THAT WAS FOUR DAYS AGO 
> 
> I TECHNICALLY COULD HAVE PUT THIS PART UP AGES AGO, BUT THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A ONE SHOT, BUT WE'VE LONG SINCE PASSED THAT PARTICULAR MARKER 
> 
> don't ask me how long this fic is going to be, it wasn't even supposed to have multiple chapters
> 
> anyway, this is gifted to 
> 
> Callie/Lymmea, the entire reason I got into FE3H ALMOST SPECIFICALLY FOR DIMICLAUDE because i was canonblind but there was a really aesthetically pleasing picture I reblogged of Dimitri being full ass feral and Claude covered in blood (pliskin does many good dimiclaude pictures ftr), and so Callie took me aside, babbled at me a whole lot, and anyway that's why I'm still TECHNICALLY in the process of watching a walkthrough. we have another AU rp between us that is like 76k words long, so, look forward to that
> 
> and 
> 
> Adilia AKA the person behind one of my favorite comics on these pair of idiots and also, like... a lot of other really good Dimiclaude art??? and just fe3h art in general? I forgot how much I've reblogged from Adi until I looked through the tag and was like "wait, that one too????" 
> 
> As a note, Adi's original comic doesn't include Dimitri wearing an eyepatch, but I like just. fucking up my characters. so he has one for the purposes of this fic. He's also dealing with some pretty serious mental health problems in this fic, in the manner of someone who's gotten to a fairly stable state, so there will be some mentions of that, but it's not meant to be the focal point of the fic. It's just a thing Dimitri has to live with, and he's dealing with that. I'm fortunately talking with someone quite experienced in this aspect, so it'll be handled respectively. Anyway, thanks for reading, welcome to my dumb wild ride as I write a fic that was never meant to be this long! 
> 
> also callie came up with the fic title, after ferreting out where i'd hid the second chapter of this


	2. date with a viking

Really, Claude supposes he has no one but himself to blame for saying things like "surprise me". He knows, objectively, that the weather isn't as cold as it could be. It's perfectly average autumn weather, even. It's just, you know, colder than the weather forecast said it would be, and sure as _hell_ colder compared to the nice toasty comfort of his car. Still, he forces himself to brave the unknown of the.... average modern zoo parking lot that could be a whole zoo unto its own, and huffs as he immediately tucks his hands into his pockets once he's out of his car. "Fifty percent chance of doing an outdoor activity and he went for it, huh?"  
  
If he's honest, he's mostly playing up his aversion to the cold weather, although he _does_ hate it to the ends of the earth and back. He's from warmer locales than this, and winter never ceases to remind him of this fact. Some days, he even ponders what it would be like to move back. Still, it is what it is, and he pauses for a split second to consider digging out one of many coats he has underneath his seats. It takes about as long for him to decide against it. At least, not right now, not immediately. He really wants to test this guy out. You know, see just how he'll react on a date. Is he the grumpy but embarrassed menace to society he'd first met, or the overly polite gentleman who'd texted back at him? A median? Anyway, he can always come back for it. With that decided, he makes his way over to the agreed meeting point: one of the many little statues lined up along the sidewalk and leading into the zoo.  
  
He's only _mildly_ surprised- less than he is expectant- to find that Dimitri is waiting there for him already. He's plenty early, which is impressive, because Claude made sure to come a few minutes before their meet up time himself. Unlike their first meeting, Dimitri seems to be leaning far more towards an even middle from the scowling death aura juggernaut Claude saw in their first meeting and the tentatively but happily smiling beefcake on Facebook. The scale might even be leaning a little more towards the latter. Someone less observant than Claude might miss the subtle details, that quiet anxiety beneath the surface. It's kind of a funny thing to watch. Even as he's approaching the blond, he can see Dimitri fiddling nervously. He's types something into his phone, his eyebrows surely but steadily starting to pull into a more serious sort of glare... before Dimitri catches himself, shakes his head, and visibly makes the effort to relax his expression again. Ah. He's starting to get an idea of what happened, now. Claude waits until he's about seven steps away before he says, "Hey! Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."  
  
Dimitri jerks his head up, eyebrows raised, before relaxing again. "Oh, hello, Claude. I'm glad you made it. " There's a hasty something put into his phone before Dimitri stands up, tucking it into his pants pocket. "I haven't been waiting very long, honestly." And there's a smile, but not the wholly unreserved kind Annette and Mercedes had managed to capture on camera. It's more restrained, more polite, which is almost a shame except he's still plenty handsome just like this. Besides, if he won't unleash the full effect of a smile, his body is more than making up for it. The black turtleneck he's wearing is practically _painted_ onto his firm muscular body, and a bright blue belt acts as a solid draw down to equally black pants and boots. Much like with Claude, he's decided against wearing a jacket or coat of any kind. Unlike Claude, he seems perfectly at ease in the cool air, and not bothered even the slightest. With how blond he is, and the initial intimidation factor, Claude briefly wonders if he's accidentally decided to date a viking. Well. The dating part wasn't accidental.  
  
Very _very_ briefly, he entertains the mental image of Dimitri with some of his hair braided, shirtless, an enormous fur coat over those amazing muscles, pinning him to the wall in the hold of a ship. Will he know Dimitri long enough to find out of he could be convinced into roleplay? Only one way to find out. Fake fur cloaks can't be _that_ expensive anyway.  
  
"Well, no reason to lounge around out in the cold, right?" Claude says, stepping towards the zoo gates. Despite the impression his apologetic demeanor in the texts may have given, however, Dimitri doesn't lag behind so Claude can take the lead. He also doesn't surge ahead in front of him. He just... stays at the right pace, somehow managing to not abuse those long legs of his. Claude can't say just yet if that means Dimitri is more respectful and considerate than a lot of other guys he's ever dated (or met), or if he's just so infatuated that he wants to keep Claude in easy viewing distance. Who knows? It could even be both. The human mind is a beautifully complex disaster. "You know, I wasn't expecting a zoo to be the kind of place that you'd pick."  
  
Dimitri settles alongside him in the short line into the zoo. "Well, movies weren't- I didn't think movies would be something you would find any particular interest in, but then the concern arose that perhaps you wouldn't care for the direct opposite extreme..." The words which have been quietly but steadily coming faster pause, taking in how Claude has his arms pressed close to his sides and his hands tucked securely into his pants pockets. What Claude just said seems to add up into the proper conclusion he was _hoping_ Dimitri would be smart enough to make. "Is it really that cold?"  
  
Close enough. Claude smiles and shrugs. "I don't know about you-" He has some pretty solid guesses. "-but I'm from a bit further west, you could say. I'm not used to autumn getting this chilly this soon. I guess it's true what they say about weather people lying, huh?"  
  
If this were a guy like Sylvain, Claude would expect a smooth move. That kind of guy would have been looking for opportunities. What better time to slide an arm around a cold date? If they were a slightly more average person, he'd maybe get a hopeless shrug and some condolences on how that sucks. An asshole would either ignore the issue entirely or, worse, mock him for not thinking ahead. Fortunately, he doesn't think he has to worry about that last option with Dimitri. The problem is that he doesn't know which of the _other_ ones he has in mind that Dimitri will go for- and that's not counting options he might not have considered. He'd probably cross out that first one- the Sylvain option- except that Dimitri accidentally tried to pick him up while getting coffee... so, really, it's anyone's game here.  
  
"I'm sorry, I wasn't considering that when I chose the zoo... I'm used to worse weather than this myself." He curls his fingers at his chin, looking at how the line is fairly swiftly carrying them to the counter. Whatever math he's doing in his head, he does it quickly, because he turns to Claude again only a moment later. "Could you please hold our place in line? I forgot something in my car. I promise it will only take a second."  
  
"Forget your wallet?" Claude teases. "No problem. Better be quick, 'tho- I don't want to tell the cashier that I'm waiting to pay because my handsome date ran away. _Again_."  
  
Ah, there's that lovely hint of the scowling ruffian he saw from across the coffee counter, trace of an embarrassed blush and all. "I'm not- I _swear_ that will not happen again." With that, he turns and bolts off. Unlike when he'd been walking with him only a minute earlier, he definitely puts those long legs to good use. Claude watches him go. Dimitri's not really a guy with an ass, although he's _clearly_ fit from head to toe, but that's fine. When it comes to partners in bed, well, what Dimitri has up front in his chest is more than enough to have Claude's interest. That's not the only thing he's interested in up front.... (Something his friends would and have teased him about. There's a reason he's not bothered by a lack of ass.)  
  
But that's for later. For now, he looks back to the line, shuffling forward a couple of feet at a time. He's second to the register, wondering if he'll need to charm the cashier to stall, when he hears heavy footsteps right behind him and equally heavy panting. "I don't think being early and almost being late balance each other out," he starts to say glibly, still in the process of turning around, when something heavy suddenly drapes across his shoulders. Surprised, he reaches up with one hand even as directs his stare downwards.  
  
It's a coat in such a deep blue that it looks as luxurious as it feels, and it _feels_ god damn amazing. On Dimitri, it probably only falls down somewhere around his calves. The height difference on Claude ensures that it reaches his knees at the very least, and whatever lines the insides automatically blocks even the dictionary definition of cold. As if that weren't enough, the hood has _fur_ on it, white and then black that Claude can... kind of imagine Dimitri looking _good_ in, despite how Claude's pretty sure it's not his kind of pattern at all. Dimitri's hands linger on his shoulders, touch lighter than the weight of the coat but waiting still, before they swing down to Dimitri's sides. "Do you feel better?" he asks, single eye searching Claude's expression.  
  
While he couldn't hide the brief surprise at such a coat being put on him, Claude recovers quicker than most. He laughs, reaching up to adjust it around his shoulders. "You have a spare coat just laying around?"  
  
"Things happen," Dimitri protests, before the person in front of them moves on through the gates and he turns his attention to the cashier. He'd offered to pay, when they'd been planning this whole thing over text, and Claude had let him. Not like he'd really had a choice, with how much Dimitri wouldn't take 'no' for an answer in 'making up for his rudeness'. Claude's glad he did, because he kind of _needs a moment_.  
  
Out of all the responses he'd considered on his mental list, something so stupidly _gallant_ hadn't really featured. Yet Dimitri had really gone and done that. He'd run off, gotten a spare jacket he just happened to have lying around, and draped it across Claude's shoulders as though he were a medieval knight pampering his dearly beloved lord. That's what this feels like, right? The pleasant flutter in his gut, the warm feeling in his veins- it's so delightfully new and _charming_ , all the moreso because he can't see anything fake about it when he looks up at Dimitri out of the corner of his eyes. He's really just... like this. _Apparently_.  
  
Claude's grin gets a little more genuine as they pass through the gates. This date is already off to a good start.  
  
Once he's tucked his wallet away, Dimitri looks back to him. "I... sometimes break things," he explains, more than a little awkward. "For example, I've accidentally ripped coats before, or lost buttons. And zippers are..." He grimaces. "It began to get frustrating, so I started to pack extra little things such as that in my car. It helps, when I'm away from home."  
  
He wiggles his hands through the sleeves of the coat with a small laugh. "I didn't peg you as the always prepared type! _Or_ the clumsy type." Stopping in front of the helpfully huge map right in the entrance plaza, he rests his hands on his hips. "So, did you have a plan for this little venture, or is this where we start to improvise?"  
  
"Well..." Crossing his arms, Dimitri cranes his head back to take in the entirety of the map. Even for a guy his height, it's a _lot_. Claude doesn't blame him. Still, that just proves the zoo was a perfect choice, made in mind for all of its animals to have the space they need with patron considerations more secondary. Makes him feel pretty good about the visit, at least. "I was going to ask you if you had a favorite animal, or a particular exhibit that you would be interested in, and we could make our way in that direction. It's the most logical way, isn't it?" He actually looks back to Claude, as if gauging whether that's an accurate statement.  
  
"But it might not be the most _fun_ way." Claude has a twinkle in his eyes as he meets his sole one. "What if I wanted to go to the alligator exhibit, hardly five minutes away from the gate?"  
  
He's doing his best to hold in any annoyance, Claude can tell, but Dimitri still can't hold back how his lips thin in faint exasperation. Good. If he was going to be apologetic the entire date, Claude feels as though he'd inevitably take advantage of him... which isn't that bad in his regular life, but not something he's generally looking for in his romantic one. "I didn't consider you the type who likes large carnivorous lizards."  
  
"I'm a mystery that way."  
  
"I think... I am beginning to realize that you are a lot more _teasing_ than I properly realized when we first met."  
  
"You only met me for fifteen seconds. It's good you're learning~."  
  
Dimitri huffs a little bit, but it doesn't seem too serious since he then reaches up far to the right in order to tap one spot in particular. "Well, even with your surprising affection for crocodiles and alligators, _I_ am interested in going to see the lion enclosure, which is all the way on the opposite side of the zoo from the entrance, so we would still be able to see far more exhibits inbetween the alligators and the lions."  
  
It's cute, how seriously he's taking all of this. "That sounds like a plan, then!" Using Dimitri's arm as a brace- holy shit it feels exactly as firm and soft as he'd imagined his arms to be from that one picture- Claude stands on his toes to tap his knuckles along the map. "Because I was _actually_ interested in the fact that this zoo has an escape room, and I want to see if it's any good." Relaxing back on the heels of his feet, Claude grins slyly up at Dimitri. "What a coincidence, it's _also_ right between the alligators and the lions."  
  
Arms crossed, nose scrunched up, eye narrowed- he might be the picture perfect representation of a cheap bodice ripper's wet dream when it comes to physique, but Dimitri is _also_ unbelievably adorable. "And you could have said that from the start," he says, shaking his head as he steps around Claude. "Wouldn't that have been easier for you?"  
  
"That's still not the same thing as what's more fun, you know."  
  
But the zoo is plenty fun no matter _how_ they go about it, on their way to the escape room. There's plenty of exhibits to distract and amuse them, even right there in the initial welcoming plaza. That's where they both briefly get sidetracked by a sign advertising the zoo's own personal kitchens, where all the animal meals are prepared for the day. It's a fun little thing, an interesting slice of knowledge that even Dimitri seems to be curious about, before they continue on their way. It's mid-morning, so the zoo's not as bustling as it otherwise could be. It's also not as _cold_ thanks to Dimitri's act of chivalry.  
  
With all the interesting exhibits, they take their time, chatting idly inbetween stops. Sometimes it's about the animals in particular that they're investigating. Sometimes, it's not, and Claude casually brings it up while they're in the penguin exhibit. "So, were you just having a rough day?" Dimitri pauses where he's dragging his finger against the glass, purely for the benefit of a penguin that's swimming after it, Claude clarifies. "When we first met."  
  
"Ah." Dimitri looks back towards the penguin, clearly embarrassed again, although this time he's not blushing. It's kind of a shame. "That was... merely a bad habit, showing up at the worst possible time." Withdrawing his hand, he rubs it along the back of his neck, disrupting the hair there. "On occasion, when I get nervous, or worked up in any way- well, I tend to retreat into my own head. I'm trying so hard not to show that I am being affected that my expression becomes a... glare." He heaves out a sigh, hand dropping to his side as they both continue along the path all around the enormous tank. "Usually I'm better at noticing when I do it, but that day I suppose I was rather caught off guard."  
  
"Ooooh?" Claude's smirk is probably illegal in some countries, and certainly ought to be in all the others. "Was I so attractive that I derailed your ability to think completely?"  
  
"Claude!" Claude thinks he could get used to hearing that exasperated tone saying his name like this, and he laughs. Yet even with his laughter filling the air, he doesn't miss Dimitri's embarrassed mumbled admission. "You _were_...."  
  
God. He's never dated- hell, he doesn't think he's even _met_ \- a guy who's as earnest as this. That guys like this even exist is a pleasant surprise. Still, he'll do him the favor of pretending he didn't hear that, and lightly smacks his shoulder to get his attention as he heads for the exit. "Come on- it looks like there's a huge gibbon exhibit just down the way."  
  
When's the last time he even went to a zoo? Claude can't remember. Sometimes he's gone to museums, in selective company, but zoos? It's a lot more fun than he ever would have thought it would be. It helps that Dimitri seems to enjoy himself just as much, constantly sneaking glances at him when he thinks Claude isn't looking, and even rolling his eyes at every playful jab and terrible pun. Still, it's all just a lead up to the main event for Claude when they finally make their way to a jungle themed building that hardly looks out of place among the _dozens_ of other various little buildings that fill up the zoo. Claude can spot the brightly colored name blazed across its side, but Dimitri still feels the need to check the nearest giant map. "This is it, then?"  
  
"Looks like." With zero hesitation, he goes over to the window along the side. A small bell is just waiting to be rung, so he obliges it, settling in for a wait. After all, whatever other building the escape room is attached to seems to be pulling double duty for the two after all. Despite that fact, someone still manages to come over to the window in fairly quick time- a sleepy eyed guy in a beanie who blinks dully at the pair of them. "Ah...." For all that he looks like he's had about the same amount of sleep that Dimitri apparently has on any given day, his gaze is still quick enough as he does a rapid scan of the rest of the area around the window counter. "Just two for the Escape Room... adults only?"  
  
Not exactly the most cheery of cashier expressions... But if there's anyone Claude can sympathize with, it's the life of a retail slave, whether that's in a coffee shop or pulling duty at a zoo escape room. Dimitri answers for the two of them. "That's right, it's only the two of us. Do we need more people, or is this fine?"  
  
"Two is enough..." His fingers move faster than his mouth, with how quick they are on a keyboard, and he inclines his head towards the price reader. Claude has never seen a person who so desperately doesn't want to do his job. It's kind of hilarious. "Do you have anything against others joining in as a larger group, or is this...." His gaze slowly roams over them again. "...a date thing." It is, by the merest technicality, a question. The cashier doesn't even sound like he can muster up the energy for proper inflection.  
  
Dimitri seems, briefly, paralyzed by indecision on this front- Claude has a sneaking suspicion it's a combination of not wanting to refuse people out of politeness, while not wanting to invite complete strangers in on their date, and also probably not wanting to label this a date without getting Claude’s input, despite the fact that a date is exactly what they're on.  
  
He'd settle on a response fairly quickly if Claude gave him a second, but instead Claude takes the reins as he leans around the blond. "This _is_ in fact a date thing," he says with a wink. "But if other people want to join our group, I don't mind a third or fourth wheel."  
  
"Do you really not mind?" Dimitri seems to readily accept Claude’s decision without waiting for an answer to his own question, however, and the reason for that is quickly revealed. "Well, I have never gone to one of these before, so... I suppose the extra company would not be _un_ appreciated. Is there anyone waiting?"  
  
"Not yet... But we need a little bit of time to prepare." A pause as the cashier appears to remember an important part of his pitch or, really, his whole job in general. "There are different scales of difficulty, depending on if we have kids, adolescents, or adults... So we take time to adjust things and make sure everything is in place." He inclines his head in the direction of a large screen on the wall near the window. For the most part, it's playing various little commercials on different programs and activities in the zoo. What's of interest is a fairly broad line of black along the bottom that currently reads: **PARTIES WAITING TO ENTER: 0 OF 0**. "While we do that... if anyone else comes up and is interested... Then we make the same offer, and call you over. Just that."  
  
The cashier slumps over the counter, now fully having abandoned pretending he has a spine, or functioning skeleton. Claude briefly entertains that maybe that should have placed this guy nearer to the invertebrates, or maybe the sloth exhibit if they really were feeling generous. It seems like he'd be happier there. In fact, don't sloth grow moss on their fur? That might be what's on his jacket instead of uniform color. "We'll ping you when we're ready, so try not to wander off too far... We aren't going to hunt you down, and we only keep you in mind for ten minutes. There aren't any refunds."  
  
"That explains all the tinier exhibits and games around," Claude notes in amusement. "Well, don't worry. We won't wander off too far."  
  
Their cashier makes the faintest noise of acknowledgment, returning to the computer so that he can input the pricing and take Dimitri's card. Over to the side, the screen changes to cheerfully announce the arrival of a new party waiting to enter, and the cashier takes out a rubber stamp- though he pauses when they offer their hands. Dimitri is handsome, to be sure, but he's pale as all hell... which is a problem when he's put next to Claude, _absolutely_ not white and nowhere near _that_ amount of white(although definitely his own wonderful and perfect brand of handsome, if he does say so himself). The cashier doesn't say anything, like how it might be difficult to use the same stamp for two wildly different skintones, but his gaze does slowly rise up to focus on them for a few judgmental seconds. In the end, he goes with a yellow ink for the stamp- something that shines brightly on the back of Claude's hand in the form of a bounding gazelle, but that just makes Dimitri look like he has the beginnings of a bruise.  
  
Dimitri waits until they've walked a little distance away to speak up "Is that cashier alright...?" he asks, frowning.  
  
"Oh, he probably just doesn't want to be at work," Claude says with a laugh, gesturing for Dimitri to sit down with him at the nearest bench. "Which, no one does, so I can't really blame him." He gives a slight wink. "That he didn't have a good stamp color on hand for both our skintones probably just didn't help. Anyway, you've never done an escape room?"  
  
In contrast to the way he stands and walks, with a straight spine and carefully measure gait, Dimitri seems to slump a bit more forward when he sits, and his arms brace themselves on his knees. "I've heard about them. Or rather, I've heard that they exist, and that they are timed events, but I am not entirely sure what one _does_ in them."  
  
Claude's grin widens. "Well, congrats on being one of today's lucky 10,000," he tells his date. Dimitri's blank stare says the reference goes right over his head. That's fine. But what better thing is there in the world than to introduce someone to something they’ve never learned about before? That is, besides possibly being fucked by a blond, chivalrous viking with muscles like an action hero. (Claude can have multiple favorites, he's not picky.) "Basically, the idea is pretty straightforward. You're locked in a room- just as part of the game, they’ll let you out when time runs out or if there's an emergency- and you have to solve a series of puzzles and games in order to escape. There's a time limit in place, usually nothing worse than an hour, and you essentially win the game if you solve all the puzzles and get out before the time limit is up. It's a pretty popular business, if you can spin it right."  
  
"Are the puzzles in these businesses _really_ able to be so different from one game to the next?"  
  
"Ha, well- to some degree, yeah. There are hundreds of different kinds of puzzles in the world, whether you count simple word games or more complex things. But what really helps escape room businesses differentiate themselves would be that they all do their best to be themed." Claude gestures towards the building only a minute or two's walk away from them and their bench. "For example, for obvious reasons, this one that we're going to try is probably going to be animal-themed in some way, or jungle-themed, or zoo-themed. I shouldn't have to explain why. But there are ones that have way more unique and interesting stories. For example, some escape rooms ask you to take on the role of a thief trying to steal something and then escape. Others are almost like a murder mystery. Others lean towards a specific aesthetic, like sci-fi or steampunk. Depending on how much money its creators have access to and how creative they are, an escape room can really stand out."  
  
The entire time he's talking, Dimitri listens attentively, and even starts to lean in his direction a bit with his chin resting in one hand. "It seems as though you have a lot of experience with them."  
  
Claude shrugs, still grinning. "A little bit. Me and a friend of mine like to check out any new ones that pop up in the city. One in particular is doing really well- we're on its mailing list. They change up the theme and story every month. We can't make it _every_ time, but we try to make plans if we see them try something we're really interested in."  
  
"Well... Would you mind telling me a little bit more about them, then?" Dimitri gives a little smile, friendly and lopsided for all its awkwardness. "If this is going to be my first time trying an escape room, then hearing from an expert would surely not hurt my chances at winning one. The opposite, in fact."  
  
Yeah, sure, and Claude was born yesterday. It's purely out of interest in the game that Dimitri is trying to get him to talk more about escape rooms. Still, he doesn't need to be told twice, and Claude leans casually against Dimitri. Beneath his shoulder, he can feel Dimitri freeze in surprise. "Well, the good news for you is that I know all sorts of tricks escape rooms like to use..."  
  
Along with the pleasant bonus of keeping Dimitri's eye focused purely on him in that adorable infatuated way that actually _does_ include some genuine interest in there, talking about escape rooms comes with the added bonus of whittling away the few minutes that remain until there's a quiet ping from the escape room building itself. The cashier is still there when they approach, and all he does is incline his head towards the large doors a few feet from the window. When they enter, however, Dimitri abruptly pauses with a quiet, "Oh!"  
  
"Oh," says the young woman dressed in a khaki zoo uniform, _also_ wearing an eyepatch that looks a bit more high quality than any cheap escape room gimmick. A brief second passes where the two of them just stare at one another, some sort of unspoken eyepatch solidarity being established, before she remembers she has a job to do.  
  
She quietly hands them both a pamphlet. "Here. This is the simple premise of the escape room.... Basically, um, you're scientists researching ape intelligence, but there's an ape escape, and they lock you in... So you have to use the toys and other things inside to figure out a way to escape. It's like that."  
  
Dimitri frowns faintly. "This feels like something that we should have gotten at the counter... Is the cashier alright?"  
  
"No," the girl says in such a casual blunt fashion that Dimitri is visibly left off-balance, and Claude has to bite his tongue so that he doesn't burst out laughing again. She continues on, as if entirely unaware of her own idle savagery. "We ran out and there was a problem with the copier... You have an hour to escape. I'll be with you the entire time, if you need help..." Much like her coworker up front at the register, she doesn't _say_ that she hopes this never becomes necessary, but there's something subtle in her tone that says she would be really happy if that never happened. Faintly, Claude is reminded of one of his closer friends. "Are there any questions...?"  
  
Dimitri still looks _distinctly_ concerned about the state of the zoo's employees, and he's staring at the woman as if wondering if he should push. Claude decides to speak up for both of them. "Nope, I think we both oughta be good!" He smacks Dimitri's back. "Right?"  
  
There's still a look like he has a _lot_ of questions, but on the game front, he manages to give a nod. "Yes, I believe we're both ready."  
  
With that, the woman hands them both fake little ID cards that sport not their pictures at all, but rather a beaming cartoon lion for Dimitri and an equally cheery gazelle for Claude that matches his stamp. The lead up to the beginning isn't the most well oiled acting experience Claude has ever experienced, even on the escape room front alone... but the girl does well enough as she acts out how they'll be doing some basic tests today, and then some quiet dismay when they're "locked" inside the first room. It's one of many, meant to be a room that's part fake lab and part toy room. With how much zoo employees probably get paid, she honestly does a much better job then is really _required_.  
  
Her staying out of the way is done with an easily believable in-character excuse, as she fiddles on a laptop to "try and get them help" outside of the lab. For all he knows, she could be looking up porn on the internet as much as doing some actual zoo required work, or maybe even just keeping track of how their session is going. Claude will let her have that.  
  
For right now, he turns and winks at Dimitri. "Well, looks like we're in some trouble, Professor Dimitri. But I think a couple of classy academics like us can keep ahead of our own research subjects well enough, right?"  
  
Apparently- and Claude keeps this in mind for later- Dimitri isn't opposed to a little roleplay. While he does hide part of an embarrassed smile behind one hand curled over his mouth, he doesn't shy away from eye contact. Not immediately, anyway. "Well, they are very intelligent, Professor Claude." _That's_ when he breaks away, still trying so very hard to not laugh as if it's some great shameful secret that he could be happy. Briefly, Claude wonders how Mercedes and Annette managed it. Well, he has a lot of time to crack the code. In the meanwhile, the escape room is what he'll focus on cracking.  
  
It's not one of the most challenging escape rooms he's ever been in; Claude can tell that right off the bat. A lot of the work is really just figuring out which specific puzzles have been put into play, and skimming through some of the papers that have been left scattered all over the room. (Whoever was in charge of set up must have really had a fun time.) Beyond that, it has all the basic tropes he's come to learn. But he didn't pick this sort of thing to be challenged, although he wouldn't have objected if that turned out to be the case. He's a lot more into the _fun_ of it all, the cute little animal stickers, the puns that are weaved into puzzles, the creative _staging_ of it all. When he talks with Dimitri, pointing out the exact kind of puzzles or tricks he mentioned while they were outside, he can tell that his date is enjoying it too... especially because he only occasionally needs to point out anything in the first place. Dimitri is actually pretty quick in his own way, and he's taken a lot of what Claude had said earlier to heart. He lets Claude handle all the fun fiddly details like going through papers or books. In contrast, he hunts down different things that seem to match, like a set of folders that are color coded, or points out things he can't entirely figure out but that he knows have to feature into _some_ sort of puzzle. He has a good head for that kind of thing, and for knowing when to pass something onto someone else.  
  
But he's just a _liiiiiittle_ bit too serious.  
  
A lot of it is in his body language. It's little things that all add up to the big overall picture: movement that's a little too sharp, a thoughtful glower that's not relaxed enough, no lingering appreciation for the game. If Dimitri didn't perk up at Claude's voice and smile to him, he'd wonder if his date was even enjoying himself.  
  
Gotta fix that.  
  
At one point in combing over the adjacent room, Claude straightens up to wave around a small book chained to a wall. "Hey, Dimitri! This has instructions in it for that machine in the other room. I don't think getting this off the wall is a part of the puzzle, since there was a note about how they had to remove the key from the testing facilities." 'Testing facilities'. Ha. "One of us is going to have to read the instructions out loud, so can you go over there? I can see you if I look out the doorway, so I should be able to point out if you do something wrong."  
  
"Is that all? I can follow directions well enough." Claude watches as Dimitri goes over the machine embedded in the wall- probably a sort of safe if Claude had to guess. For a brief second, he gets distracted by the way Dimitri's hair slides over his broad, muscular, firm shoulders - he could go on - when the other man looks back at him. "So what's the first step?"  
  
"Alright, so, it sounds a little bizarre," Claude says, "but I promise it all adds up to making sense in the end."  
  
"Okay....?"  
  
"Good! Just thought you should know. Anyway, what you're first going to have to do is- you know how, in PE back in high school, they would have you stretch by holding up one leg behind you with the opposite hand? You need to do that."  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's what it says!" Claude gives a helpless shrug. He's pleased to find that his acting skills are still Oscar-worthy, because Dimitri only frowns at him for a second before obliging. Right handed, huh? "Alright, good. So, next, and this seems like it might be a little tricky, but you need to hop."  
  
"...All right, I think they're just messing with us now."  
  
Oh, that's precious. He's still willing to give Claude the benefit of the doubt over anything else. "Listen, I know that's what it seems like," he tells Dimitri reassuringly, "but I promise I've seen this kind of thing used in other escape rooms before. It has to do with pressure, and that sort of thing. It's actually really interesting. Once we're not on a time limit, I'll tell you all about it." From the corner of his eye, he tries to get a bead on their guide, but she seems perfectly content to continue ignoring them and thus let Claude have his fun.  
  
"That's... impressive, I suppose, for an escape room that's little more than a side attraction at a zoo..." Dimitri struggles a little bit as he gives a hop, almost falling over in the process. It's so cute and helpless. Claude feels as though he might get punished by some divine force if he keeps this up.  
  
Which, you know, he does. _Of course_. "Nice! I think that should set it off. Now, next step..." He makes a show of 'reading' what comes next. "You know patty cake? I need you to sing that, and hit the machine in time with the rhyme- I know, but if you just listen-"  
  
Dimitri does _not_ listen. Finally putting both feet on solid ground, he turns around to scrutinize Claude carefully and with a sort of wariness, even. "Is that _really_ what it says?" he asks. "Be honest with me, Claude."  
  
He does his very best to keep a straight face. "Look, I am being nothing if not the most upstanding and forthright.... of.... gentleman..." Okay, no, if he tried to say that in all seriousness he really _would_ be struck by lightning. Luckily, his poker face gives out before he can even make the attempt, collapsing into laughter.  
  
"So you were lying!"  
  
"Lying is such a _strong_ word- hey!" Dimitri charges forward, and Claude ducks back into the room, laughing all the harder. Yet those long legs come through yet again; Claude supposes he should have foreseen that in the first place. He's barely back in the room, still holding onto the chained up book, when Dimitri is _already_ pulling himself around with his hand on the door frame. Before Claude can even _blink_ , Dimitri has his forearm slammed against one side of his head, and Dimitri's other hand keeps him by pressing into the wall somewhere near his ribs. Like this.... Dimitri's height is even harder to ignore, not that Claude's been able to before. The man absolutely _looms_ over Claude, shadow falling slightly over him as his hair slides around his face. That pale blue eye of his seems darker, too, piercing him straight through as if he's a butterfly in a display case.  
  
" _Claude_." Shit. His voice sounds so hot like this, a soft growl dragging at the edges. Claude wonders how it would sound hoarse and breathless. Wonders a lot of things, honestly.  
  
None of those thoughts show on his face at all, even if there's a heat pooling in his gut. Instead, he bats his eyelashes innocently. "Yeeeeeeees?"  
  
Dimitri keeps his arm right by Claude's head. With the other, he reaches down and lightly pulls the book free of Claude's hand. "Try to play the game _paid_ for, instead of tossing your own in. Weren't _you_ the one to point out we are on a time limit?" With that, he pulls away, huffing quietly as he settles besides Claude instead of pinning him so that he can start skimming the right page. "Don't do that to me ever again, either. I hate that sort of trickery played on me, no matter how good-natured its meant to be."  
  
"Ha ha, got it, got it."  
  
Still, Dimitri doesn't let him go off immediately, instead reading over the page that's been bookmarked. "Turn the dial ninety degrees to the right.... Is that correct?" He goes through everything, forcing Claude to confirm every step of the way, before he nods. "Very good. Then _I'll_ read the instructions. _You_ can go do what I say."  
  
If Dimitri would pin him like that in somewhere more private, Claude thinks he would do _anything_ he'd say. Anywhere else, he'd even say that out loud... Or at least a nice little suggestive 'yes _sir_ '. But the poor chick that is stuck with them for the duration of the game isn't paid enough to hear innuendo from a pair of jackasses who aren't even playing the game. So he steps away with a laugh. "You know it's a game you're supposed to have fun with, right?"  
  
All Dimitri does is hold the book up pointedly. Claude laughs again and does as he says.  
  
"Your sense of humor is terrible, isn't it?" Dimitri asks him once they're out of the escape room, souvenir 'ID cards' still swinging from their necks as prizes of a game well won. "I can't believe you would lie to me like that!"  
  
That he's still holding onto that- Claude cracks up, leaning against Dimitri's side. Unlike all the times before, he seems to ease up a bit, arm shifting to brace him even in spite of his sulking frown. "It was a _game_ ," he points out. "And you-" He reaches up to flick some hanging strands of blond hair. "Were taking it a little too seriously."  
  
"There was a time limit!" Dimitri protests. "Aren't you supposed to put your all into something with a time limit, especially when it's something that you paid for?"  
  
"That's one way to live life." Claude shrugs. "But, you know, even if we'd lost the game, I still would have found it worth it just to see you have fun with it all." His grin turns a few degrees more sly. "...And hop on one foot, or play patty cake with a safe."  
  
"Claude!"  
  
Even with how far the escape room has taken them through the zoo already, at least halfway down the entire length of it, there's still a lot to walk before they reach the lion exhibit. The good news is that there are also plenty of _other_ exhibits to pass the time on the way there... Still. Claude doesn't miss how Dimitri always checks every map they pass by, and the quiet excitement that builds up as they get ever closer to their destination. It's honestly pretty adorable, for a one eyed viking who pinned him to a wall, and Claude can't help but ask, "So, you really like lions, huh?"  
  
"Ah... Is it obvious?" Dimitri's smile lends itself a little bit towards self depreciation. "I just haven't gotten to see any of them in so long.... My father used to tell me stories, when I was younger. They all seemed to revolve around a great knight ancestor of mine, and lions kept popping up in them often." He does his best to hide it... and maybe he's gotten a lot of practice in, because Claude is pretty sure he only picks up on the morose shift to his smile as Dimitri ducks his head down because he's good at reading people. "Thinking back, he really was just humoring his son with fairy tales... And I suspect I was hitting a stage in my childhood where I was rather obsessed with them. So they were stories just to make his child happy. Still... Well, I suppose I cannot help but be very fond of them, even now that I'm a proper adult. I know it's rather immature."  
  
"I think it's cute." Claude chuckles again, but it's softer. "Isn't it important to have good memories from your childhood to carry with you into adulthood?" Idly, he takes some material of the coat between his fingers and rubs his thumb along it. "Are you that embarrassed by it?"  
  
"I suppose... I just have expectations of myself. The kind of person that I want to be."  
  
"Well, just make sure your expectations of yourself don't rob all the fun out of your life." Reaching over, Claude smacks his back with a brighter grin. "Your type of personality makes it seem as though you make it hard to have fun as it is!"  
  
"I'm having fun now!"  
  
"Good! Especially because it looks like the lions are out in full force today."  
  
Three lions, after all, is definitely a treat. With an exhibit that opens out into a more secluded back, Claude knows the enormous beasts can run off whenever they get sick of dealing with people. Yet it looks like the zoo has done a good job of keeping plenty of activities out in the enclosure. Thanks to that, the lions clearly find it more rewarding to be out there... or maybe they're just in the mood for people watching as much as the people are the mood for lion watching. A male- the only one visible, it looks like, and probably the only one in the whole exhibit- is lazily lounging along some rocks and enjoying the sun. In contrast, the two lionesses are a little more active. One of them seems to have a lot more energy, bouncing over the male, smacking at him from a lower vantage point, and just in general being a pest that, for all her efforts, is being utterly ignored. Her cohort is more relaxed but curious, strolling along the large window separating humans and wild animals. That there are so many people ogling her doesn't seem to be an issue at all; she's probably been in the zoo for a while if Claude had to guess. Although, speaking of things at the glass-  
  
Claude taps Dimitri's arm, drawing the blond's attention from where he's been grinning at the the antics of rowdier lionness. "Hey, see that giant rope there?" It's an enormous and thick one, threaded through a very purposeful hole made secure with metal and rubber.  
  
Seeing it makes Dimitri perk up. "Oh, I've read about those. For some zoos- certainly not all of them- they install such things so that visitors can play tug of war with some of their larger animals. Big cats like lions especially. It's to help engage with them, keep them active. I've heard there's been some pushback about it, in regards to forcing the animals to be entertainment...."  
  
Dimitri turns his head to look over the entire visible enclosure. It's absolutely littered with a few large sturdy toys that have clearly been through the ringer, plus a shallow pool of water that seems to have been recently disturbed. At least, that's if the wet spots around it are any indication. There's also a tire swing, the teeth marks scoring it visible from a distance. That's in addition to such a large public enclosure, with even more hidden space, that has plenty of climbing and sunning spots for rambunctious cats like the one lioness.  
  
Dimitri’s train of thought is easy to follow, but he verbalizes it for Claude anyway. "Of course, I doubt that is a problem here, with the sheer variety of enrichment available to them. If they want to play, then they will, and they won't if they do not. It seems like a good system to me, although I'll admit this isn't a field that I'm knowledgeable in." He pauses, taking note of Claude's grin up at him. "What?"  
  
"Don't 'what' me." Claude tilts his head towards the rope. "Aren't you going to give it a try? Impress me a little bit by winning against a lion in tug of war? Those muscles of yours can't just be for show."  
  
"Please...." But he does step away from Claude, looking over the rope and tapping one boot against the ground. "I wouldn't win against any of them anyway."  
  
"Ha~."  
  
"It's not really a contest of strength like this, after all." Dimitri straightens up. "It's more... leverage, I suppose. Leverage and weight together. I'm not heavier than a lion is, even if a lioness weighs less than the male up there. That matters when any one of them can dig their claws into the dirt when they pull on their end. My boots have fairly good traction, but that doesn't mean anything when I'm left straining on smooth concrete. If it were only one or the other, it would be a different story."  
  
There's some questions Claude has, such as if Dimitri really understands that he just hinted that he could win a strength contest against a lion, all other things being equal. He saves that for later. Seeing is believing, so he'll see what he sees. Instead, he tilts his head to the side. "Well, you worked all that out pretty quickly."  
  
A quiet but pleased little smile appears briefly on his lips. "Thank you." There's a pause as Dimitri glances at him from the corner of his eye. "...Are you really interested?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Are you really interested in seeing me try to play tug of war with a lion?" Dimitri's fingers slide along the back of his neck. "As you said earlier, sometimes it's not about winning when it comes to games... And besides, it's not often that one gets an experience like this. Well. Assuming any of them are interested in playing, anyway."  
  
Reaching past Dimitri's own coat that he's still more than happily wearing and into his own, Claude pulls out his phone. "If I get to video you doing it, absolutely."  
  
Dimitri shakes his head, walking forward to give the rope an experimental wiggle and tug. "You know, the effort of trying to video this is going to go to waste if none of them get interested... Oh."  
  
Proving luck is on their side, or at least Claude's, one of the lions _does_ wander over in interest. What's interesting is that it's not the over excitable lioness still 'lovingly' harassing the sunbathing male, but instead the one that's been roaming along the glass. The wiggling of the rope has her perk up, hurrying over. She gives it a few curious bats, gently mouthing at it after a second. Claude starts up the video with a grin. "So what was that about none of them getting interested?"  
  
"I didn't say _none_ of them would be interested," Dimitri protests, even as his hands go down.... to the hem of his shirt?  
  
Claude makes sure to keep his camera focused right on Dimitri, and his eyes, too. "Going shirtless?" he asks, trying not to sound _too_ interested, and definitely trying not to sound anywhere near even _half_ as thirsty as he is.  
  
"Of course not; that would be crude," Dimitri says, despite the fact that he's peeling off his turtleneck to reveal.... a tanktop underneath. Huh. Claude wouldn't have taken him for that kind of guy. That just adds to an entirely different kind of attractiveness, with the muscles Claude's only seen a glimpse of in pictures put on display. A tease of what he really wants to see. "But if I'm going to play tug of war with a lion, I'm likely going to get sweaty. I don't want to ruin my shirt with sweat. There's still the rest of the day to get through." With it pulled over his head, that leaves his hair in a ruffled blond mess all around his face and shoulders. "Could you hold this for me, Claude?"  
  
"Uh huh," he replies, making sure to discreetly have the camera get a nice close-up of the muscles curving beneath that tank top. Special attention is given to the chest hinted atone that looks like it was sculpted by a Greek artist so the gods could bring it to life. His eyes, Claude makes sure to keep above shoulder level. "Be sure to give me a good show, okay?"  
  
  
"I think that depends at least partially on the willingness of my partner," Dimitri informs him, leaning down to pick up the rope. "And don't make it sound so inappropriate!"  
  
There's no need to worry about the lioness not giving it her all. Apparently, she's already learned just what it means for someone to pick up the other end of the rope, and she immediately adjusts herself for a better tug. It's more than a little cute, honestly, even if it would be terrifying to see her bared fangs and scrunched up nose in any other context. Claude grins a bit, noting indeed how her claws really do dig into the ground for a better hold.... and then quickly realizes just how much dirt she's digging up as she furiously pulls back on the rope. She's actually _struggling_ a little, snarling around the thick rope in her mouth. Claude glances down to his phone to make sure it's still got a good focus on Dimitri, only to pause as he double checks the real thing to make sure he's seeing what he's seeing.  
  
All this time, Dimitri has been on his best behavior. Even when he’d penned Claude in against the wall, he'd been mildly annoyed at most, delivering what was more an exasperated scolding than anything. (Frankly, even that had been a welcome break from how apologetic he'd been over text.) Yet as he's standing there, feet braced against the concrete, muscles straining in crystal clear definition... There's nothing _polite_ or _reserved_ about the expression on his face. He's grinning a bit- actually _smirking_ as he narrows his eye at the enormous cat who's his opponent. The two of them continue to tug, a small dirt pile being dug up on one side of the glass. On the other? On the other....  
  
It's such a subtle shift, Claude can't even pinpoint when an excited smirk becomes something the exact opposite of civilized. But that one blue eye, bright and sharp; that vicious curve of a smirk; those bared teeth...all taken together, it’s enough to send shivers up Claude's spine. All of that stacked on top of a body that puts classically sculpted statues to shame- a body that has already penned Claude in against a wall with such ease that Dimitri clearly didn't even have to think about it. That is going to be playing repeat in Claude’s wet dreams for days now.  
  
He's never deleting this video.  
  
  
  
  
  
↣ HILDA  
  
↣ LOOK AT THIS VIDEO OF DIMITRI  
  
↣ 『VIDEO ATTACHED』  
  
⬏ lmao omg  
  
↣ HILDA WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO ABOUT THIS  
  
⬏ i mean obv ur gonna get railed like the trans siberian so idk why ur askin me????  
  
⬏ u told me that 2day b4 u left lol!!!!  
  
↣ i mean OBVIOUSLY  
  
↣ but idfk how i'm going to survive until he lets me get to that point  
  
⬏ LMFAO  
  
⬏ i'll make sure ur 💀gravestone💀 has the wrds  
  
⬏ "Cause of Death: Rabies and That D"  
  
↣ thx hilda, i knew you'd have your priorities straight  
  
⬏ there is nothing str8 about me hdu  
  
  
  
  
  
By the time he finishes texting Hilda with one hand, it doesn't look as though the tug of war contest has reached any kind of climax... although Claude is _pretty god damn sure_ that Dimitri has actually gained a few inches’ advantage. They've also apparently attracted a bit of a crowd, though Dimitri seems to be ignoring it as he focuses purely on his excited lion companion. There are whistles, a few excited claps, and other people who've taken out their own phones for a quick picture or video. Dimitri might become even more of an attraction than some of the actual animals in the zoo, with how things are going.  
  
Yet Claude has gotten off his phone just in time. Dimitri tugs along the rope a few more times, lips pulled back in a snarl of a grin, before he finally and abruptly lets go. The lioness goes tumbling backwards, her paws over her head, and she sits up with a few befuddled blinks. She doesn't have long to get over her shock, as the other lioness bounds over to immediately start harassing her. It's a pretty cute little interaction, watching the older lion scold her younger companion, but Claude is pretty sure only a few people are paying attention to the exhibit itself now.  
  
The _other_ zoo exhibit- a new, temporary, and completely accidental addition- straightens up on the visitor side of the enclosure. A dark, intense look still shimmers in his eye for a second, blue brighter than anything, and... Shit. Claude’s kind of into that, isn't he? He's really, terribly into that. It's a good thing he's still recording everything with his phone. He can keep this whole event stored away, which is helpful, because the whistles and hollers of all the spectators finally seems to snap Dimitri out of it.  
  
And it _is_ practically a snap, with how quick that dark look changes into the same wide-eyed honesty that Claude has been adjusting to this entire morning. He looks around, embarrassment in every fiber of him, and waves off any comments as he hurriedly retreats to Claude's side. "I didn't mean to make a spectacle of myself," he mutters, swiping sweat from the bottom of his chin. Even without his own embarrassment, heat is burning off of him to the point that Claude can feel it just by standing next to the guy, even though his borrowed coat. Their pretty lion friend really helped him work up a sweat, apparently. "I apologize for that, Claude." He pauses, blinking down at Claude’s hands. "You have two phones?"  
  
"I like to be prepared," Claude teases, sliding away the secondary phone he’d used to text Hilda. "But in all seriousness, you could say one is basically a work phone. I was just answering a quick text on it. Anyway, I don't know why _you're_ apologizing when I'm the one who asked for a show. And boy-" He whistles. "I sure got one! Although it looked like you gave up a little bit towards the end."  
  
"Oh, that." Buying the phone excuse readily enough, Dimitri looks back towards the lion enclosure. "I could feel I was starting to slip, as I said I would.... I managed to get a few inches purely because she was surprised, but it wasn't the kind of thing that would let me win. I thought that was enough at that point."  
  
"You sure looked like you were enjoying yourself."  
  
Dimitri grimaces. "Was I making a strange expression....?"  
  
That's.... one way to describe it. Claude decides to keep that to himself, laughing the question off. "You were grinning, that's all."  
  
"So it was only that...." _Only_ that? Yet another question Claude stores away in the never-ending folder for his curiosity. Dimitri gives a few rolls of his shoulder, fingers kneading at the skin there. Claude does his absolute best not to be too obvious in how he's watching those muscles shift and flex. "Well, I suppose I get- competitive. A little healthy competition doesn't hurt anyone, does it?"  
  
Claude slowly raises an eyebrow. "Competitive with a _lion_?" he asks incredulously, elbowing the blond in the side.  
  
It's amazing, really. Not even two minutes ago, Dimitri had the kind of dark and domineering look that Claude would, one day, like to see looming over him in bed. Now, he’s as harmless as a kitten in a playpen as he gives a silly little huff. "The lioness wouldn't have had fun if I didn't give it my all," he protests. "That's the important thing."  
  
"And here I thought you were too honest a guy to lie like that," Claude says, all dramatic shock and one hand daintily placed against his chest.  
  
" _Hush_."  
  
"Yeah, yeah." Claude laughs again, satisfied by the video confirming it’s saved, after triple checking to be sure. Tucking it away, he offers the turtleneck back to Dimitri. "Here. Or do you really feel so warm that you'll be fine going around in a tanktop all day?"  
  
"Hm? Oh." Distracted from his weak defense on the benefits of lion tug of war, Dimitri glances down at himself. "Well, if I put on my clothing too soon, the sweat will only make it colder when it sticks to the fabric... I'm still decent, after all."  
  
There is absolutely nothing decent about Dimitri like this- his hair tousled around his stupidly handsome face, a decadent flush spread along his skin from his cheeks down to his throat, and sweat highlighting every muscle that his tank top is doing a hideous job of really hiding. "You have a point," Claude says, storing all those particular NC17 thoughts in his head where they won't pop out. Otherwise, he fears, other things might pop out too. "Want me to keep on carrying this, then?"  
  
Dimitri shaking his head is such the opposite of a surprise, Claude feels as though 'expected' is too mild a term. "Of course not. It's mine; I don't want to bother you with it. Besides..." Accepting the turtleneck with one hand, he ferrets out his phone with the other to check the time. "It looks like we've managed to spend a good chunk of our morning as it is... It's around lunch. I think I saw that there was a restaurant near the center of the zoo. Are you hungry?"  
  
With Dimitri properly distracted by his phone, Claude allows himself a slow once-over of this Greek statue of a human being. "Yeah, I’d say I'm pretty hungry alright."  
  
While he’s thinking about the state of Dimitri's body- and just Dimitri's body in general- Claude actually _is_ hungry in a way that has to do more with food than his libido. Thankfully, the walk to the zoo restaurant is a short one. They fill the short walk with conversation and one-sided teasing- and Dimitri, to Claude’s infinite regret, slides his shirt back on around halfway there.  
  
The restaurant is exactly the kind of place one would imagine, with its being in a zoo: lots of warm browns, a general wood and leaf theme, colorful decorations, and enormous windows along one side that look out onto an exhibit far below them. It's quite a nice view. Claude is pleased that he’ll be able to vouch for just _how_ nice of a view it is when they manage to snag a table right by the windows. "It's cool they have an actual grill set up instead of a tiny diner or cafe," he notes as he finally removes Dimitri's coat, draping it over the seat next to him. While the outdoor part of the zoo is as cold as ever, even if it's warmed up since they first arrived, the indoor parts of it are a lot more manageable. "It really is a pretty good zoo, huh?"  
  
"Well, I did try to do my research." Looking over the menu they've been given, Dimitri rubs the back of his neck. "Although... It would be remiss of me to say that I did all of this on my own. It's been quite a long time since I've been on a date of any sort, so I spoke with some of my friends to figure out what would be a good choice."  
  
"Your friends, huh? I bet Sylvain had quite a lot of advice to give, if my first impression of him was right."  
  
Just saying that name earns another slow breath from Dimitri as the blond frowns. "Sylvain," he says deliberately, "has been banned from all knowledge of my dating life."  
  
Claude bursts out cackling. The, fucking- the _solemness_ of it, the _disappointed parent_ vibe, just the way Dimitri says it, it's utterly hilarious to him. "He really got you all worked up when he gave your number to me, huh?" he asks, eyes sparkling. "Even though it lead to us being on this date in the first place?"  
  
"That's no excuse," Dimitri insists, only taking a moment to thank their server when she brings over glasses of water for both of them. When she takes their drink orders, Dimitri stays satisfied with only the water, Claude notes. Once she's gone, Dimitri continues again with little need for build up steam. "I asked him to do something entirely different. What he did was not only a problem for me, since it went against what I asked, but it was a bother to you at your workplace as well."  
  
"You're still really hung up on that, aren't you?" It's honestly pretty sweet. Then again, he supposes he shouldn't expect anything else from the guy who got so flustered about some accidental flirting that he ran away. "Well, I can't say it isn't appreciated, honestly. It _can_ be pretty awkward when someone hits on you when all you're trying to do is figure out what size coffee they want. I'm an expert when it comes to dealing with people, so I don't mind as much... but I wouldn't want my coworkers to deal with it."  
  
"Still..."  
  
"I _was_ a little disappointed at the idea that I might not see this particular workplace flirtation offender around, however." Claude winks. "If nothing else, you were _hilarious_." There's another one of those too-cute sulking frowns, although now it's all twisted up as Dimitri visibly fights to decide if his shame over being seen as hilarious is better than being considered a complete creep. "And, more than hilarious, I _was_ really curious. I was left wondering just what about me had got such a serious and stuffy guy to fumble out a pickup line and then _run away_." He leans forward, fingers laced together. "I know I asked before, but was I really _that_ attractive? You didn't exactly give me an answer. What tripped you up?"  
  
If there's one benefit he's absolutely guaranteed to get out of dating Dimitri, however long or short that timeframe might be, it's that watching his face journeys is never going to stop being funny. He's just so... _open_ , in a way that Claude is wholly unfamiliar with. Even when he's not behind the register or bar of his job, Claude is putting on some sort of mask. Something to put people at ease, whether it's because everyone likes a friendly face around or because others will underestimate a playful smile. He doesn't wear that kind of face _all_ the time, or else he's sure he'd lose his mind, just.... You know. Enough.  
  
But Dimitri? Claude has known him for all of a few hours in total, but he can already tell: the guy is honest to a fault. Even when it doesn't show in the words that leave his mouth, he can see it in the awkward pull of his brows, the embarrassed scrunch of his mouth. He just... has a hard time hiding anything. "I've already said how attractive you are," Dimitri says, finger rubbing over a corner of the menu he has before him. "Are you just trying to tease at me all the further?"  
  
He absolutely is, as a matter of fact. Claude doesn't say that. Instead, still grinning, he points out, "That's not the same as telling me what _exactly_ got you so worked up."  
  
"I am starting to believe that you're nothing short of an absolute terror. Do you know that?"  
  
"And yet you haven't abandoned me on this date."  
  
"Some of us have manners, as difficult as I know this is to believe." Claude is about to continue needling him, just to see how far he can get, before Dimitri sighs and looks out the window. "...If you really must know, my own dignity be quite clearly _damned_.... I noticed your eyes first. Just- the way they lit up and shined even while you were doing such a mundane job for who knows how long. I could pick up on it even when I first stepped into the back of the line. They were some of the most amazing eyes I'd seen. And... after that... Everything else seemed to just fall into place the more I stared at you. Your smile, for example- how bright it was even though yes, I know, it _must_ have been a part of your job. Then it was the curve of your jaw, and the arch of your nose, and how beautifully the curls of your hair looked in the light of day..." Dimitri sinks his face into one hand, a powder of pink dusted across his cheek and over his nose. "I was trying to keep calm, but instead I only ended up _glaring_..."  
  
"Ha." The laugh leaves him, automatic. Has to leave him automatically, because the rest of his brain? Claude doesn't think the rest of his brain can even function right now, completely blindsided by such a... Well, he'd been expecting something simple and quick, something about how his eyes were just 'pretty' or whatever. He had never been expecting a whole description of himself, and how amazing even his _nose_ is.  
  
There's a heat tingling beneath his own skin, subtle but noticeably there, and he swears to god. He swears to _god_. If he is actually blushing, for the first time in probably ten years of living a life without any shame whatsoever.... Quietly, making sure Dimitri doesn't pick up on it, he lets out a slow and quiet breath to settle the flutter in his heart before continuing on like normal. "There, there. You only traumatized...why, probably no more than a small handful of people! Like, four, tops. And I wasn't even one of them."  
  
"Claude! Honestly-" There's no chance to scold him any further than that, however. Their server drops by again, inquiring on if they've made a choice, and Dimitri's eye goes wide. He's a deer in the headlights instead of the hot lion wrestler Claude saw before. "Oh, no, I apologize. Can you give us a few minutes more to make a decision?" Once the server is out of sight, Dimitri shakes his head at him again. "Alright, no more of your games or teasing."  
  
"Aw."  
  
"I'm serious. Have you looked at the menu? I still have to make a decision myself..."  
  
"Well, I doubt a place like this has a huge amount of variety. It shouldn't take long." Smiling now that the conversation has turned back in his favor, Claude quickly skims over the menu. While it has something of a spread, with even a couple of different categories, it's not the kind of restaurant that really needs more than a single page to get the job done. Claude settles on the idea of a panini and a side in short order. Dimitri still seems to be struggling, however, his gaze continuing to stray back towards one part of the menu in particular. "Something catch your eye?"  
  
"Hm? Oh. Well, I thought it was interesting. They actually serve pizza here."  
  
He's trying to play his interest off, Claude can tell. He sees absolutely no reason to let Dimitri get away with it, though, especially not on a date where they're supposed to be _enjoying_ themselves. "Do you want one?" Claude asks, already skimming back down to the appropriate section. He'd noted they had pizza, but he hadn't really thought much of it. It was only the two of them, after all. But you know what... He feels like he's willing to bend his decision a little bit, with how cute Dimitri is and how much his heart still twists pleasantly when he thinks of that quiet litany of compliments from only a minute ago.  
  
Predictably, Dimitri shakes his head. "Oh, it's far too much. I wouldn't want any of it to be put to waste."  
  
"Please. We're both starving, we can probably finish off a good chunk of it, and I'll be amazed if they don't have takeout boxes here." One of the menu items really catches his attention on a second skim through, and Claude snickers. "Actually, no, you know what? Now we _definitely_ have to get one- look, there's a 'Big Cat' pizza. After your whole performance? We _need_ that one."  
  
" _That_ is your reasoning?" Dimitri hunts through the menu himself to find where Claude has landed at. "There's so much _meat_..."  
  
"Not a meat lovers kind of guy?"  
  
"The taste isn't a problem. But if you insist on eating with me..."  
  
"It's not a problem for me either. Come on, we can get sweet potato fries to break up the taste. And if it takes us a while to get through it, well, you can tell me more about _other_ instances of Sylvain being banned from things. I have a feeling the list isn't a completely short one."  
  
All Dimitri really needs is confirmation that Claude is also happy with eating pizza before he consents. And in the time it takes for their food to be made, and then for them to eat their way through it.... They just talk. Sure, they've gotten to talk a little bit during all of this, but nothing in-depth. Nothing like listening to Dimitri talk about how he's known Sylvain and two other friends ever since he was a kid, and all the stupid stunts they've lived through together. Nothing like telling Dimitri, in turn, about his own roommates and how it is living with them- how Hilda always gets him laughing, while Lorenz is so much fun to tease even if he's a good guy underneath it all.  
  
It's a nice lazy conversation, a good back and forth. There's nothing serious, but there doesn't _need_ to be anything serious. Not when they're eating pizza at a zoo while, far beneath them, sea lions lazily float along the water. Claude always tries to find some measure of joy in his life, something pleasant to relax in, and he likes to think he's gotten pretty good at it after over twenty years of just _living_... Yet he has to admit that he's never had a chance to relax quite like this. It really was a good idea to let Dimitri get out all his embarrassment from their first meeting in the form of fussing over him, including arranging the whole thing himself.  
  
"And anyway, that's how Hilda got Courtney’s phone number, and how she ended up dating a fellow player in our community marching band," Claude finishes with his latest story, waving a hand airily and with no particular purpose. "Isn't it amazing what gifting a girl a flamethrowing trombone can do?"  
  
Dimitri is leaning forward, utterly enthralled with Claude's masterful storytelling (if, you know, he can boast a little), but at this he makes a faintly offended noise. "I gifted a girl a _knife_ once, and Sylvain has never once let me forget it! He said it was a terrible gift for a girl!"  
  
"Maybe Sylvain doesn't know girls as well as he thinks he does." Claude grins a little. "And how did dating that girl _go_ , anyway?"  
  
The way Dimitri freezes, mouth scrunched up, gives away the tale. "She... did not go with me on any other dates."  
  
Claude cackles delightedly at this for some time, which Dimitri waits out with patient exasperation. He even crosses his arms, as if silently asking if he's _quite_ done. It’s only when Claude calms down that the blond speaks again. "Although, speaking of dates... I did want to ask about this one."  
  
By their stomachs combined, they've made it halfway through the pizza together. Claude toys with the crust of one more slice, pondering if he has room for it, even as he looks over to Dimitri. His date has all of his attention on Claude. "Well, I'm certainly not holding you back from that. What's up?"  
  
In contrast to the way Claude is leaning back, Dimitri leans forward even more now that they don't have food to occupy them. Instead, his eye is trained on Claude's fingers. "I was merely wondering... Are you enjoying yourself?"  
  
You know, Claude had a feeling that things were leading here. He lets his smile soften, fond in a way he still suspects is far too subtle for Dimitri. "What, you can't tell?"  
  
"I've... made assumptions before. This sort of thing is far too important for me to treat carelessly. So... I want to make sure. I want to hear from your own lips, whether or not you've enjoyed this date between the two of us."  
  
There it is- that precious earnestness. The kind that everyone else should have too, because what's the point otherwise? Even if he hides a lot of things himself, Claude has to admit that he wishes there were more people with that kind of bone-deep honesty. It's... nice. Maybe if there were more of it, plus a couple other things, the world would be a little bit better. "Well, let's see.... I got to cuddle up in the warmest coat I think has ever existed. The escape room was cute and fun, _especially_ when I convinced you to hop on one foot." His grin brightens up, in contrast to Dimitri's embarrassed huff. "To top it all off, I got to see you without a shirt-"  
  
"I was wearing a tank top."  
  
"-and we've just had some honestly pretty great pizza and conversation with quality to match. I've been having a _great_ time." Honestly, a lot more fun than he could ever really have foreseen, when he'd first made the decision to text him back. Claude had always figured it was a possibility, but it was one among many, and he hadn't known Dimitri as well yet. Now, well... Now he's learned a whole lot about him. Enough to be pretty sure on what Dimitri is really angling for, what he really needs to hear: a simple confirmation that everything is going well. Even knowing all of that, Claude is surprised by the real honesty and depth he feels in his next words. "Such a great time, honestly, that I wouldn't mind doing it again sometime."  
  
A faint but hopeful little smile settles itself onto Dimitri's lips. "Is that so.... Then, I couldn't be more glad. I was worrying about whether this would be good enough all last night, since I wasn't sure if it would be to your taste." In the back of his head, Claude wonders if it had ever occurred to Dimitri to facebook dive for him the same way that Claude did with him, and if that would have changed anything. "But.... Then, if that's the case, I feel there's something important for you to know, before we do anything else. Honestly, I wanted to bring it up earlier... It's simply that I was told such a thing is too up-front. So I thought I would at least wait until- or if- you seemed interested in anything beyond this one date, and after you'd been able to have lunch seemed like the best time." Gone is that little smile, and Dimitri still hasn't raised his eyes to meet Claude's gaze.  
  
Well. That's sure a worrying thing to say. Claude shifts so that he's leaning forward as well, and he watches Dimitri's gaze flicker up and around them- checking to make sure no one is eavesdropping on them, or paying him too much undue attention. On that, honestly, Dimitri doesn't need to worry. While the zoo line was slow in the morning, business seems to have picked up more towards lunch time. The restaurant alone seems to have plenty of people whose combined conversational buzz almost guarantees privacy.  
  
Still, Claude makes sure to keep close, regulate his tone, so that the other man can feel a little better. "Well, I'm here and all ears." Bad news comes in all sorts of forms. Claude has experienced more than a few of them personally. In fact, he's experienced more than a few of them while on actual dates, or in the aftermath of them. While he hadn't expected Dimitri would drop any on him on the very first date, he's also not as surprised as he could be. He watches Dimitri take a deep breath, steadying himself-  
  
"I have schizophrenia."  
  
Claude has a vast and... _exciting_ dating history. One time, a person compared him to their estranged father. Another time, the date was full of nothing but talk of his date's ex. All this is to say that he's lived through a lot- from hypercritical hipsters who judged him on his taste in media to his date's exes party-crashing. This is a new one, something so unexpected that all Claude can do is blink as he stares over at Dimitri.  
  
Dimitri still refuses to look at him, one hand curled tight under the other on the table. Hidden as it is, Claude can still see the way his fingers are shaking ever so slightly. "I don't particularly like to talk about it," he says quietly, digging his nails into the hand beneath them. He gives an attempt at a smile, but it's not nearly as convincing as he would probably like it to be. "I'm on medication, as well. However, I thought.... It's not the kind of thing I should keep quiet about, not if we're going to see each other again. You... should have all of the information available to you, before you decide to commit to this sort of relationship, however long or short it may last. I didn't want to seem as though I were tricking you."  
  
Claude is fairly sure that Dimitri has a lot more to say; the guy can certainly talk when he gets into his groove. However, he interrupts him, because that? That isn't going to fly. " _Tricking_ me? Dimitri, anyone you’ve just met who thinks you hiding a sensitive personal issue like this until you’ve gotten to know them a little is _trickery_ was probably going to be a pain in the ass later on."  
  
Dimitri jerks his head up, meeting Claude's stare for the first time since this whole conversation began, eye wide- God. He'd been expecting a rejection, hadn't he? He'd been preparing for Claude to walk right out of the date, or disappear under some paper thin excuse. In a flash, he can feel a sort of heat burning along the back of his heart. He has to smother it before the feeling becomes too open, too serious.  
  
"Look... I appreciate your trying to look out for me. And it is a pretty important thing to know about, so I can understand that. But..." And he slides a hand over, fingertips touching Dimitri's hands. He grins. "Try to give me a little credit. Don't act like I'm going to ditch you after what has been a perfectly amazing date. Honestly, now I'm more worried about how _I'll_ live up to my half of dating you."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"I mean, I don't know exactly a whole lot about this kind of thing." Dimitri's hands have stopped tensing up beneath his, Claude notes. "Now I'm worried that I might say something insensitive, or be a huge asshole without meaning to. So how about this-" He winks. "You tell me if I'm being weird, rude, or a prick, and I'll do the same when it comes to you. You know, the exact same kind of thing we should be doing while dating _anyway_ , and that we've already done together." Because now that he's looking back over the last couple of hours, Claude is already pretty sure he messed up. No wonder Dimitri had kept checking things, and had gotten so annoyed when he'd read that escape room book wrong. At the time, Claude had agreed to not do it again to placate him. Now... Now it's a more serious promise.  
  
Dimitri is still staring at him; Claude definitely prefers that more than aggressively avoiding eye contact. Then, so slow and small and faint that it could be a daydream, Dimitri smiles. "...Then, a second date?"  
  
"Well, the first one isn't over yet," Claude says coyly, sliding his hand back. Dimitri does his best not to be too obvious about it, but he still looks a bit like a puppy that's had a treat taken away. So he's definitely one for physical affection; duly noted. "Want to get a pair of boxes to put this pizza in, and then we can see what else we haven't covered in the zoo?"  
  
He looks over to the pizza as though he’d completely forgotten its existence- which, frankly, he probably did. Claude can't blame him after a conversation like that. "Oh, yes. Well... I don't think I should, even if I did like it. Do you mind...?"  
  
"You don't need to twist my arm or anything to get me to take this delicious pizza with me back to my apartment and my ravenous roommates." Grinning still, Claude waves over to where their server is. "I didn't see any desserts on the menu. Want to snag some ice cream while we wander? I think I can probably still fit some."  
  
"Even after all of that?" At least he's smiling again, a small and casual little thing. Claude is starting to realize there's more weight to it than he was ever aware of. Also, Dimitri already has his wallet out.  
  
"Listen, don't you know there's always room for dessert?" Claude clicks his tongue in exaggerated disbelief. "But I'm paying for it, or else I'm going to start feeling like a sugar baby at the rate we're going."  
  
"A _what_ -"  
  
Their fun and exciting new conversation topic has to be put to the side for a moment as their server comes back over. It only takes her a minute to go get a box for the pizza... and she sure does keep glancing over at Dimitri for a few seconds as she sets down the receipt. Claude is wondering what the deal is when she says, "Are you... the person who was playing tug of war with the lions earlier?"  
  
"Well look at that!" Claude laughs even while Dimitri starts to sink into his seat, narrowing his eye down at the table before he remembers to take a breath. "You're a local celebrity already, Dimitri."  
  
"I would really prefer not to be," Dimitri says, voice a little bit strained.  
  
"It's nothing bad!" their server protests. "I just thought that the two of you would be interested to hear about the enrichment game that they're doing today. It's, uh, they're giving pumpkins to some of the animals, lions included. It usually happens not too long after the lunch hour, so...."  
  
That Dimitri isn't further being teased for his little tug of war stunt is _almost_ disappointing, but that's fine. Claude is surprised to find that he actually likes the way his date brightens up almost as much as he knows he’d enjoy some casual teasing. The forced casual tone as his date tries to restrain his excitement is adorable, too. "Really? Then perhaps it would be worth backtracking a bit..."  
  
Dimitri is always obvious when he's glancing at someone. With only one eye, he has to notably turn his head to look at Claude and gauge his reaction to the idea.  
  
Well, hey, they _were_ looking for something more to do. "Sounds like it'll be hilarious."  
  
Dimitri might be the one who pays for the main meal after he inputs some more things into his phone, but Claude makes sure that _he's_ the one who leaves a generous tip behind for their oh-so helpful server. He also gets them some ice cream at a stall that's clearly doing slow business on that end. It honestly is a little cold to eat ice cream. But here’s another point to consider: ice cream is _delicious_. There are some things one is willing to suffer for.  
  
He will say he _was_ totally right: watching the lions mess around with pumpkins is a hilarious affair. The perfect way to continue their date, and an even more perfect way to watch from the corner of his eye as the tension in Dimitri's shoulders begins to loosen. Also there's honestly nothing quite like seeing a lion try to gnaw through inches and inches of hard gourd before she just gives up. While they watch, she runs away to hide with it under some of the denser foliage. "I can't tell if I'm terrified," Claude says as she snarls around a mouthful of fiber, "or about to bust my gut laughing."  
  
"She's doing her best. Give her some validation."  
  
The lions give the gourds their full attention for a good fifteen minutes or so, with a fourth lion eventually coming out to investigate all the fuss; she even goes chasing a pumpkin all the way into the water. She paces along the edge, complaining the entire time, until a scarred blond with teeth to match the lions themselves pops his head up over the enclosure wall.He pokes the pumpkin back to shore with a long stick, into the grateful paws of the lioness.  
  
After that...well, there are still a few exhibits to browse through, including an enormous petting zoo area. The petting zoo advertises peacocks, who clearly have almost no patience for the amount of attention they get. (Claude makes sure to snap a picture to send to Lorenz, with the caption "ran into your parents at the zoo!") But the day is starting to wane, sun making its slow and sure trek towards the horizon while taking what little warmth there was with it. Dimitri seems to recognize this, stopping at fewer and fewer exhibits as the two of them wander along even before Claude suggests they both take their leave for the day.  
  
Their last stop is at the souvenir shop. There, Dimitri picks up a jacket sporting the image of a lion head with a rainbow mane, laughing to himself. There's a pun here, but only for the two of them, in the context of a date. Claude knows he could be further spoiled, if he asked, but he doesn't go for anything pricey. All he does is laugh, grabbing a bright yellow shirt that says "WELL KOALAFIED" on it in bold letters. And once they leave, Claude expects the invitation to escort him to his car even before Dimitri makes it.  
  
"I’m happy with the shirt but I thought knives were the traditional first date gift from you," Claude teases as they navigate the jungle of the zoo’s parking lot.  
  
The dusting of pink on Dimitri's face isn't due to the chill. "It's a nice and practical gift, I don't see why it's a problem," he grumbles. "Now _two_ people aren't going to let that go." He stops his complaints soon enough, perking up when Claude begins to veer very definitively towards one car in particular. "Oh- yours, then?"  
  
"Yup, that's right." Pausing by the driver's side door, he gives the roof a fond slap. It's pretty well worn, with how long-lived it is, but he's pleased with it anyway. "So this looks like my stop. I'm going to assume you'll be wanting _this_ back." At some point after lunch, he'd taken to buttoning Dimitri's long blue coat up. His fingers don't even go further than the first button before Dimitri's hand lights gently on top of his.  
  
Much like in the restaurant, Dimitri isn't looking up into his eyes but instead down at his fingers. Unlike in the restaurant, there's no nerves, no waiting for the next shoe to drop. All there is would be the presence of a tiny smile. "You.... don't have to," he says quietly. "It might still be a little chilly, don't you think?"  
  
Standing there in front of Claude in the parking lot, Dimitri really does look... warm and soft, which is a look Claude doesn't think he's gotten to experience much in most of his recent dating ventures. Most of them took place at night, after all. Or maybe it has nothing to do with the time of day, and everything to do with the fondness he feels for this guy already. Shit, he doesn't remember the last time he got it this bad.  
  
Still, he doesn't have it so bad that he still can't give one of his usual sly grins, bumping the back of his knuckles into Dimitri's hand. "Chilly in the controlled temperature of my car?"  
  
"You'll still have to leave your car to walk to your apartment," Dimitri argues before he slumps with a quiet sigh and a smile. "And.... Perhaps it would be nice, to have an excuse to see you again."  
  
Despite knowing Raphael, Claude is still kind of suckerpunched by how _cute_ someone this tall and this buff can be. He laughs under his breath. "You might need a search warrant more than an excuse. With how nice this coat is, I might steal it."  
  
"Ha." Dimitri's fingers slowly fold over Claude's, holding onto him a little more properly now. "...I did have a nice time. Thank you for... giving me a chance."  
  
Interrupting him before he can get self-depreciating, Claude snorts. "Shouldn't I be thanking you for spoiling me all day?" He tilts his head to the side. "And it even came with me having a pretty good time myself. Now I'm really looking forward to the second date."  
  
And there it is.  
  
In contrast with the setting sun behind him, Dimitri's slowly spreading smile is a sliver of moonlight in the shadows. All this time, Claude knows Dimitri's been holding back, been keeping himself in reserve, and, shit, after lunch it's very clear _why_ he's been doing that. So to see all that worry and self-imposed, self-punishing control be lifted for a brief second? To see Dimitri be happy? It really feels like Claude has done something really good for someone. And just as much as that... But he wants this, too.  
  
While Claude's committing the expression to memory (while also trying to quell his fluttering heart), Dimitri pulls his hand upwards. His lips are a little chapped, a little dry from worried biting, but they're warmer than hell itself where they press fleetingly against Claude's knuckles. "Then I will do my very best to make the second one as good," he says, before he lets go of Claude's hand and begins to weave through the maze of cars.  
  
Claude waits until Dimitri's tall blond head disappears out of sight, presumably into his own car, before he slumps against his car with one hand on the roof and his other- the lucky, kissed one- over his chest. "What the fuck," he laughs breathlessly to himself. Chivalry is dead? No, chivalry is alive and well- at least in one outlier who shouldn't be counted, whose name is Dimitri Blaiddyd. He's almost surprised there's not some armored steed tied up in the parking lot for him to ride off on. Still laughing, still flushed, he digs out one of his phones again.  
  
  
  
  
  
↣ upDATE to my beautiful bff hilda  
  
↣ was not murdered in a sanitized white basement  
  
↣ am not in the trunk of the car that my stunning good looks have finally gotten me kidnapped into  
  
↣ can't wait 2 tell you all about it  
  
↣ i got a surprise  
  
  
  
  
  
"GUESS WHO GOT A SUGAR DADDY!" Claude sings at the top of his lungs, swinging open the door with one hand while his other proudly fluffs up the luxurious fur resting right besides his face. You know, after he puts down his box of pizza, souvenir shirt balanced on top of _that_.  
  
Lorenz is on his feet already, exasperated in that very unique and extreme way that only Lorenz can manage. It's one of his many fantastic skills, besides knowing a million lawyers and cultivating a disdain towards all the right people. " _Claude_. I know it's only late afternoon, but really now-" Aaaand then he pauses, taking in the new article of clothing that has taken up residence on Claude's body. It's a better show than anything Claude could find on television, how frustrated exasperation begins to shift through analytical surprise into wary concern. "...This is one of those instances where I cannot tell if you are indulging in your usual and terrible sense of humor, or if you might actually be _serious_." He straightens up, taking a deep breath and holding one fist to his chest. "If it is the latter, _please_ tell me that you did a background check first."  
  
Behind Lorenz, Hilda has her hands raised to her mouth, but her fingers aren't nearly enough to hide her own delighted grin.  
  
Kicking the door shut behind him, Claude draws his comfortable fur hood all the closer around his face with yet another sinful grin. "Don't worry, Lorenz, Hilda looked him up on social media." Lorenz's groan says he's cottoned on even before Claude adds, "And it's not a sugar daddy arrangement. For one thing, he's not nearly that old, so it would really be more like a sugar brother, or a sugar cousin. Some other form of fun incest-play."  
  
"So he just gave you a whole coat for no reason?" Hilda asks in delight, draping across the back of their couch while Lorenz scrubs at his face (but, you know, elegantly).  
  
Shucking out of his shoes but keeping his extra coat on, Claude just smiles. "He was worried I was so fragile that I'd faint from the cold-"  
  
"Yes, well, for how much you complain of it, I can imagine why one would walk away with that impression."  
  
"I am of but delicate constitution," Claude says primly, making sure his shoes are out of the way. It was one of the rules Lorenz had made sure to establish when they'd all moved in together. Their own rooms could be however they liked, as long as they didn't emit any sort of foul odor. But the entryway? That had to be clear. Claude had been fine with giving that one to him. He's also fine with giving his roommates more information as he makes his way through the apartment, snagging his new shirt off the pizza box as he does so. "Anyway, he was just looking for an excuse to see me again. Which he told me up front, as a matter of fact."  
  
Hilda is scrutinizing him carefully, nose scrunched up. In the meantime, Lorenz places one hand at his chin in pleasant surprise. "Well, what a gentlemanly act. I was under the impression, from what I had heard, that he was something of a brute."  
  
Claude makes the decision not to talk about Dimitri taking off his shirt in a zoo to play tug of war with a lion- primarily because he feels he would inevitably end up revealing how that sight made him want to get railed against a wall, hard, by the viking he's now made the commitment to go on another date with. He likes teasing Lorenz, sure, but he also won't make him suffer the details of his love life- fantasies included. (Yet.) Instead, he shrugs and heads towards his room. "Well, it was a date full of fun surprises, I'll say that much. Anyway, I brought back some pizza, if you guys don't mind tons of meat. "  
  
"Free dinner! Perfect, I didn't want to cook anyway."  
  
Even as he heads down the hall to his room, Claude can hear Lorenz's sigh. "You never cook regardless, Hilda."  
  
Well at least they're having fun. Claude just closes his door behind him, fingers still rubbing along the fur of Dimitri's coat.  
  
Usually, he hasn’t had to think too hard about the dates he's gone on in the past. Sometimes, sure, but not _often_. It's not that he always has really shallow dates or anything. It's just... They're meant to be fun, and relaxed, and nothing to really get serious about.  
  
Going on the date with Dimitri certainly filled out a lot of those definitions, Claude reflects, making his way around the numerous books (and magazines, and pamphlets, and zines...) that cover the floor of his room. He'd had plenty of fun looking at all of the different animals, most that he hadn't seen in person in years, and that’s not even mentioning him and Dimitri going through the zoo's cute little escape room. Eating pizza while talking about his friends and looking out an enormous window down to see how the sea otters were doing, that had been a whole new level of relaxing. Honestly, the whole thing had just been a nice _break_ from it all: a job that leaned towards dead silent or nonstop work with no inbetween, lots of organization and work for the band, the repetition that always seemed to happen with most of the other dates he went on... Nothing against his past dates, of course. They'd all been fun, adding something new with every iteration. He just supposes that, no matter what new toppings you put on it, you're going to get tired of pizza if you have that all the time.  
  
His room isn't the largest in the city, or maybe even their apartment building. It only feels smaller with how much he's stuffed it with everything else, from computers to a couple instruments to...well, you know, his own miniature and horribly organized library. Yet there's still enough room on his chair for him to drape Dimitri's coat over it- if only because he hasn't figured out a way to properly stack books on a chair's spine yet.  
  
Shimmying out of his jeans, Claude lazily adds them to his growing laundry basket pile along with his souvenir shirt. His sweatshirt? He opts to keep that on, flopping backwards onto his bed and disrupting at least half a dozen _other_ books that he'll have to remember to put away before he falls asleep tonight. Just, he can do that later. Later, when he's not turning his head to look at that brilliant blue now on his furniture.  
  
He really, truly hadn't been expecting his feelings to hit as hard as they had. It's almost sort of funny, he reflects, folding his hands behind his head. Then again, maybe he had been expecting something. 'Something' was what had driven his curiosity forward in the first place, fascinated by the glowering menace of a guy whose mouth didn't know how to flirt and whose texts were so embarrassingly polite that he actually bothered to include periods. The only other person he knows who does that is Lorenz.  
  
...But it really all does make sense, when he takes in what Dimitri told him over lunch. He can't empathize with the exact experience, but he can certainly sympathize enough. So much stress over how other people would perceive him.... "Ha," he says to his empty room. "Who knew we'd have _that_ in common?"  
  
It's almost like looking into a fun house mirror. Him, he takes things slow, reveals things to the right people at the right time- or at least, if he feels he can. That goes double for the things close to him, for the important things. It's not weird or anything; what kind of person reveals everything about themselves right off of the bat? The answer to that question is apparently a tall, muscular, blond viking who can beat an actual lion in a strength contest. (Dimitri would probably protest it was a temporary, fleeting victory, but Claude’s going to cling to this, thank you.) Even when he thought it could end badly for him, even when he hadn't been sure, he'd still wanted to be completely honest with Claude.  
  
Claude... likes that, he realizes. He's always known he appreciates honesty like that in other people, but this is the first time it's been such a... a _virtue_ in a person he's started dating. Not just during that conversation over lunch, either, although that had certainly been the bravest example of it. But everything before that, and after- Dimitri’s honesty had just shone through like he really didn't know what else to _do_ with himself. Even at their first meeting, the reason he'd been such a dark cloudy _mess_ had been because he'd been trying to hold himself _back_ so much that he'd fucked up, and he had to run away blushing once he’d realized that still wasn't enough. In turn, that little trait just makes everything else shine too: his ridiculous old-fashioned courtesy like using his own coat to wrap Claude in, the way he'd put so much serious _effort_ into a fun little puzzle with nothing on the line, going all out in a game with a big cat. None of that was Dimitri playing up anything. He's really just... _like that_ , a thought so charming and adorable that Claude is grinning over at the coat before he can even think to stop himself. Before he can even _want_ to stop himself.  
  
That's really as good a sign as any, isn't it? He'd worried, for a fraction of a second, that maybe he was going to fall into a pity trap because of what Dimitri had told him. Yet for all that Claude might lie or hide things from other people, the one person he's always and eternally honest with is himself... and he knows that, even before they'd settled down to lunch and Dimitri had put his heart right there on the line, he'd already been feeling some sort of way about the guy.  
  
It's been a while since he's seriously dated.... but he's feeling pretty serious now. Maybe it's time for him to put a piece of his own heart out there on the line, too.  
  
A knock at his door snaps him out of his thoughts, and Claude lazily looks over to it. Only one person in their apartment ever bothers to actually _knock_ on doors before they’d dream of entering a room. "Claude?" Lorenz asks from the other side. "I know you did just return from your date, so I am more than understanding if you would like to take a short rest in order to decompress. However, while you were gone, Hilda finally fixed the bit of difficult coding that was causing her problems, and our website is now properly revamped. I was hoping you could give your thoughts."  
  
Ah, his work is never done. Swinging himself back onto his feet, Claude stretches his arms up over his head. "It's fine, Lorenz. It was a date, not a shift at the Golden Deer, Lorenz." He rummages around for where his clothes are, the dresser almost hidden underneath- you guessed it- even more books. "Give me a minute and I'll be right out."  
  
Still, before he goes back to the living room but after he's put on sweatpants, Claude pauses. For that kind of guy, with such a tendency to worry.... He goes to dig his phones out again, which he would have had to do anyway. But now he uses the one he'd texted Dimitri with for one last text of the night. It's nothing big, takes maybe a second of internet searching, before he sends off a silly little gif of a lion missing a step and falling into its pool.  
  
There. That ought to do it. Smiling to himself over a job well done, Claude heads out to the living room with his two favorite co-conspirators.  
  
  
  
  
  
Throughout the entire drive back to his apartment building, a warm wave of feelings carries him, and Dimitri basks in it over the sounds of the podcast he has playing on low- more for the sound than the words. It's been a long time since he's dated. Years and years, really. Yet this is as good as it's ever gotten, the most connected he's ever felt. Is this what dates are always supposed to feel like? Maybe Sylvain's bad habits almost make a certain type of sense, then... although Dimitri knows for a fact that's not true. Things just... seem really good, at least when it's only him, and noise, and background scenery which keeps changing.  
  
As is something he's almost become used to, reality stops feeling so warm when he gets out of his car, in the now long dark parking space for his apartment. Dimitri pauses as the... gray of it all weighs down on him. Or rather, it's not the surroundings that do it to him, but what he has to deal with when he finally makes it inside- when it's only him, alone, in an elevator whose metal walls warp his reflection. It's too empty, too suffocating when it's only him, and Dimitri closes his eye until he feels the elevator grind and jerk to a halt. Next time, he reminds himself, he'll go for the stairs. At least there's the comforting burn of movement to keep his body occupied and his mind lulled. It's when he's not doing something, when there's nothing for his mind to get distracted by, that it feels as though every thought becomes only a smear.  
  
The hallway to his apartment is a bit better, although there's still a certain emptiness as he makes his way down it with his keys foraged out from his pocket. The choice of color for the walls and the bulbs for the lights at least makes it seem warm, and the window at the end of the hall shows the stretch of quiet lights burning all throughout the city. Still, it's not quite enough of a comfort to keep him from tensing up a little bit, jaw a little too stiff, as he prepares for the emptiness of his own home. It's not so bad when he's actually in it, accumulates to it like the temperature of water, but he never likes entering it. He especially doesn't like the idea of it at this time of day, when the dark seems to make more a home of it than he does even when he's flicked on the lights. In the end... He supposes he doesn't like being alone, even if it was his choice to start with.  
  
Dimitri is still flicking through the keys on his keychain when there's a click of a door down the hall. "Dimitri?" says a familiar low voice, and he looks up. "Welcome back."  
  
"Dedue..." He pauses in his key search. "I keep forgetting, you and the others live right down the hall from me now. Hello."  
  
"Understandably, our schedules don't often mix." Behind Dedue, Dimitri can see all three of his lovers peeking out from the doorway of their apartment. Mercedes wiggles her fingers in greeting, watching him for all that her usual smile is right in place. There's no doubt that Dedue is fully aware of their audience, but he humors it, continuing on with the conversation. "I was told that you had a date, so I thought you would be out much later."  
  
"It was only to a zoo. Not particularly a late night sort of date activity." It hadn't occurred to him how much that would benefit Claude if he ever got uncomfortable, Dimitri realizes in hindsight, but he supposes that can just be an unexpected bonus. Speaking of Claude... "It... was nice. I enjoyed myself. He even wanted to go on another date sometime, if you can believe it."  
  
"I can." Dedue doesn't shy away from looking him straight in the eyes. "I know that the past years have been difficult, yet, ever since we first met, you have always been more than you give credit. That is still true, even now."  
  
"Ha. I've never been able to get away with disparaging myself around you, for better or worse."  
  
"Well, if you've come back so early, then that means you probably haven't had dinner yet, right?" Annette interrupts, opening the door wider so that the three of them aren't all squished there. "You should join us for ours, Dimitri! We were _just_ about to have it."  
  
"I wouldn't want to intrude," he tries to protest, already having a million reasons ready why it's a terrible idea at worst and rude at best. Unfortunately, excuses only work if you get a chance to say them. Mercedes takes the initiative, encouraged by Annette's own, as she strides past Dedue to take him by the hand. Smiling, she taps her cheek and Dimitri blinks before he smacks his free hand to his own. Once again, when he wasn't thinking about it, he began to slip into a glower. If anyone but Dedue had been speaking with him, they probably would have exited out of the conversation in a heartbeat. While he's hastily smoothing out his own facial expressions, Mercedes takes full advantage of this to steal him into the apartment.  
  
"It'll be so fun. It's usually so hard to get all of us to dinner like this anymore, but now, at least with you, we can do it whenever we like."  
  
But he can't really protest it, in the end. It's hard for him to refuse his friends, and harder still when it's so easy to fall into a pleasant rhythm with these four in particular. Dinner, in fact, _wasn't_ about to be had, leading him to suspect Annette sprung it on him as an excuse. That's.... All right, in the end. He's glad for the relief, the company, being in an apartment that seems well and properly lived in, with plenty of plants thriving along shelves and books tucked into the spaces that are left. Dedue and Ashe are still as good as cooks as they've ever been, with all five of them able to have a comfortable dinner in a table that just barely manages to fit so many people at it. And when there's finally no excuses to keep him there, Mercedes hands him a large baggy of muffins she seems to always regularly have on hand for literally anyone.  
  
All of it leaves Dimitri smiling, and unable to leave for another ten minutes as they all get wrapped up in good nights and accidental last minute conversation. It's enough to last him down the hall when their apartment door finally closes, and he's left in front of his own.  
  
Getting his keys means pulling his phone out of the way. He finally realizes that he's received messages since he's arrived back at his building and been swept up in an impromptu invitation to dinner. It's only polite to answer right away... all the moreso when he sees the name attached to the message. It's nothing big, nothing important. Just... a little gif, of lions, being ridiculous. On his lips, his smile strengthens, and his heart aches fondly.  
  
Entering his apartment doesn't seem like such a big deal, now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, this chapter is dedicated to my good friend Raile (pronouns it/its), who is in fact on the schizophrenia spectrum itself. When I made the decision to give Dimitri schizophrenia, I of course did research... but that can be a little tricky when it comes to schizophrenia because, surprise, there's a lot of shitty and uninformed opinions on it. I got some good articles and such that I read, but Raile's contributions were very valuable, including a whole ass g-doc sheet on the various disorders and symptoms. Raile was willing to talk to me about it, so I'm really glad it is such a cool friend with a lot of amazing thoughts. 
> 
> That said- 1. again, this isn't *meant* to be a huge focus on Dimitri's schizophrenia, it's just an aspect of his life he deals with, and 2. don't take this as a scientific paper or anything! I am *not* a medical professional. Don't diagnose yourself via this fic. I can't really give you any advice. If you're interested in reading more about this spectrum, I can link you the same gdocs Raile did for me, but that's really it. 
> 
> If you're wondering why I made Dimitri schizophrenic... The answer is sort of "why *not*", although that sounds rather relaxed for such a serious topic. However (as Raile will gladly tell you if you get it going), schizophrenia is kind of the... punching bag when it comes to mental illnesses and the neurodiverse. People will generally support the mentally ill, of course... up until it's a "scary" thing like schizophrenia. It sucks, because a lot of people honestly don't know a lot about it besides, often, "oh, isn't that the mental illness that makes you hallucinate and kill people?", which is *very* inaccurate, to say the least, and causes a lot of harm. 
> 
> I knew from the start that I wasn't going to write Dimitri being neurotypical. I was certain depression would be a part of his mental state, but not certain on much else. Then, one day, Raile made a plurk about a silly dumb experience with its schizophrenia, and it occurred to me.... Why not? People with schizophrenia deserve decent representation too, and I thought Dimitri would fit the slot for, well, obvious canon reasons. 
> 
> Sometimes you just have schizophrenia, and then you go to get coffee for a friend, and then you accidentally flirt with the cashier, and then try to ban yourself from the coffee shop forever, and none of that has to do with your schizophrenia, you're just a disaster. 
> 
> ANYWAY, SO WITH THAT SERIOUS PORTION OF THE AUTHOR'S NOTES OUT OF THE WAY 
> 
> I apologize it took so long for this fic to get out! However, that's because I'd like some feedback from my readers on something. 
> 
> For Chapter 1, it was just me doing a quick clean up edit. I kept an eye out for words spelled wrong, fiddled with sentence structure and such, little things that leaped out at me.
> 
> For this chapter, my good friend Callie- you know, the one whose fault it is that I'm in FE3H hell anyway- took over the editing portion, and that took much longer as she read over the entire chapter again and added in various notes such as word changes, helped make a sentences flow better, broke up paragraphs that were too huge, and made comments like how Dedue hoped Dimitri would Get Some on his date. 
> 
> So here's the deal: I already have all of Chapter 3 written up. (And also like half of Chapter 4 I think. This fic has possessed me.) Neither me nor Callie have touched it on the editing front. 
> 
> Comparing Chapter 1 and chapter 2, Callie wants to know if you all prefer that I keep having her edit this. It took roughly a month for her to go over chapter 2, so I expect that would be probably roughly the same here. Alternatively, do you all just want fic ASAP and my rougher and less detailed editing is perfectly serviceable? 
> 
> Let me know in the comments, and thank you for reading all of this! I'm sorry my author's notes are always enormous lmao.


	3. friends meet boyfriends meet friends

Claude can already it's going to be a long day when, after being told the price of his drink, the guy on the other side of the counter slowly narrows his eyes and goes, "I saw a sign say I get a free drink."  
  
Maybe it's just an easily cleared up mistake, because this isn't the first time that someone has gotten confused on that. Claude has a feeling it's not going to be that easy. Oh well. There's no rest for the wicked, a proverb Claude plans to drag this guy through the second he doesn't take the easy way out. For now, he just gives a winning smile. "Yeah, you get a free drink if you sign up for our rewards program!"   
  
"Well, I don't have that."   
  
Of _course_ he doesn't. Claude rolls with it, giving the one and only offer this guy is going to get. "Well, if you sign up, it's all yours, big guy, ha ha! It only takes a sec-"   
  
"I don't want to."   
  
Yep, there it is. The sign that it's going to be a long day. Years of working in customer service have given Claude a careful sense for absolute bullshit, and that tone in just four words? That's it, baby. Claude keeps smiling, and doesn't dare to breathe. He's had customers go off on people for even that because somehow a simple little exhale is a personal insult to them. Besides, he can already see the guy gearing up for more.   
  
"I hate getting all those emails, you know? They just clog up my inbox." Far along in the line, near towards the door, Claude thinks he can see a familiar shade of blond appear, but doesn't focus on it too hard. He has his hands full here.   
  
"There's actually a really easy way to opt out of those emails, if you'd like-"   
  
"No thanks, I don't want an account."   
  
"-and if not, then the price is $2.65," Claude continues without missing a beat. The basic level of manners had been a nice little surprise. He wonders how long that will last.   
  
The answer is _not even one single second_ , because the guy's lips thin. The person in the line immediately behind him has their eyes glazing over and, god, Claude wishes that were him. "I thought it was free?"  
  
Ah, circle talkers. One of many terrible customer breeds. Claude settles himself in for the long hall, still chuckling to help keep the air a little lighter for all the good it will do. But his coworkers really rely on him when it comes to this kind of thing. If he starts being too nervous _now_ over some scrub, then they'll start getting nervous too, even if they really don't need to be. "It's only free if you sign up for our rewards program, unfortunately!"   
  
"I don't want to sign up!"   
  
_Yeah, I know you don't. You don't want to pay for anything either, you cheap bastard._ Claude the barista says instead, "Well, then there's no drink. Sorry about that, ha ha."   
  
Radiating annoyance now, the guy leans against the counter and into Claude's space where he has no right being. Sylvain did it, before, but apparently he had more than enough experience to make it 'interested' instead of 'invasive'. "Can't you just _give_ me the drink?"  
  
This guy also isn't nearly as _attractive_ as Sylvain was, and Claude wasn't even inclined to give _him_ anything free. Hell, if there's anyone he's interested in buying a drink for.... He's about four people back behind this most recent pain in the ass. Claude keeps smiling. Besides being just good customer service, he's also found that it really pisses some people off if he doesn't quiver before their 'righteous' customer rage. Sometimes that makes it all worthwhile. "Nope, I'm afraid not!" he says, still blindingly cheerful out of pure spite now. "You'll still have to pay."   
  
"Tch! Why not? It's only $2.65!"   
  
_If it's not a lot of money to you, why don't you just pay it?_ Claude has to bite his tongue for that one. He could ruin this guy's whole career in like three words, if he really tried, and he suspects he could get away with it. Management likes him; he could spin things his way.   
  
As he's making a decision on just how nasty he wants to be, his latest trouble customer works himself up, both hands planted on the counter now and right in Claude's face. "This is really shit customer service, you know that? I mean, it's practically robbery. People like you are just squeezing every last dime out of whoever you can, and you don't have even the _idea_ of shame-"   
  
For the love of- Claude shifts in place, readying himself to remind the guy that he's just the cashier, the barista, in an honestly tiny little coffee shop, so he doesn't exactly have control here-   
  
A hand slams down on the counter.   
  
Very few people are as tall as Dimitri is; even Claude who knows everyone can only say he knows one person taller and another person exactly the same height. His problem customer is no exception, and the words in his mouth come to a complete stop as he jerks away from the viking suddenly right beside him. Claude gets the sadistic pleasure of seeing him reconsider his choices as he has to crane his neck back a little bit, taking in Dimitri's.... everything. Dimitri's dead eyed stare, still as exhausted as ever, isn't nearly as intimidating on the first day he met... But it sure as hell makes no room for nonsense. "Stop," he says quietly, which Claude knows now from personal experience is just him trying to be calm and polite but probably seems pretty threatening to an oblivious bystander. Save for a guy in the far back, the rest of the line shifts away. "There is a line."  
  
Problem customer wavers in the face of a guy who could break his kneecaps. Still, he doesn't immediately leave. Claude gives him no credit for any bravery; he's probably just stupid and stubborn. "I have a _complaint_ -"  
  
"No."  
  
Claude _literally_ has to bite down on his tongue at the simple bluntness of the reply, chokes back the howling laughter he has boiling in the pit of his stomach. _No_ indeed. It's really hard to argue against that kind of thing. It's especially hard to argue against that kind of thing when you're a guy who treats customer service employees like trash. The problem customer doesn't shrink down, because that would be a sign of.... weakness, or something, and he finally just gets out his wallet with a mutter about how it's none of anyone else's business.  
  
Dimitri doesn't even deign that with a response. All he does is stand there, silently, watching the man pay with a handful of bills and some change. (See? Really not that hard.) More importantly, Dimitri watches Claude's reaction to double check that he's satisfied before he finally turns to go back to his place in line. Claude hadn't noticed the first time, rather _preoccupied_ and all, but he's actually here with someone today. He keeps that in mind even as he hands his problem customer the receipt with his cheeriest smile yet. "We'll have it ready for you in a moment!"  
  
He really loves spiting problem patrons.  
  
Still, just in case, he keeps an ear out in the direction of the pick up counter. Leonie doesn't need any problems on one of the days she's come in. Good news is that he doesn't have to worry. With the knowledge that people are _definitely_ watching for his bullshit now, that's enough to make him a model customer for fear of more public shaming. By the time Dimitri and his friend come up to the counter, the would-be-problem child is already ducking out the doors with a glower. Claude isn't sad to see him go. In contrast, his smile is a lot more genuine as he looks up at Dimitri. "Well, look who it is. No longer embarrassed to come visit?"  
  
His shoulders roll up, an embarrassed shrug, but he only glances away for a fraction of a second before he meets Claude's stare again. "I thought... it had likely been enough for most people to forget my embarrassing display earlier. And I came with a friend, as well." He sends down a smile to the gray-haired guy at his side and, oh.  
  
Claude snaps his fingers. "Oh, Ashe, right? With an 'e'."  
  
With a sort of embarrassed smile, Ashe shrugs. "Should I feel worried that I've come here enough that the baristas know my name?"  
  
"I'd much rather prefer it if you viewed it as me being _incredibly_ talented at my job." Claude winks. "I guess I should have realized that the two of you knew each other. He was ordering your regular the first time he stepped in-" He nods his head to Dimitri, not worried about chatting a little on the job. Not when there's no one else waiting for service, anyway. Lucky. "-and I didn't get the impression he was an Americano kind of guy."  
  
"I don't drink coffee in general," Dimitri explains. This, at least, he doesn't seem as embarrassed about. "Well, not very often. Still, Ashe thought that there might be something that I like here, so I thought that it couldn't hurt."  
  
"It's a colder drink," Ashe says, already launching into an explanation. "There's supposed to be a creme base, instead of a coffee one? With chocolate chips in it."  
  
....You know, Claude hadn't assumed Dimitri was the kind of guy exactly into americanos. But he _also_ hadn't assumed that Dimitri was into the kind of drinks he more often gave kids or teenagers who hated the bitter taste that came along with coffee. He's not judging, or anything. It's just _really hilarious_. And kind of adorable? One of these days, Dimitri is going to stop surprising him, he swears. "Sure, we can manage that," he says, casual tone not betraying his amusement just yet. "So the usual for you, Ashe?"  
  
"Yes, please." Yet it's Dimitri who pulls out his wallet once again, and Claude snorts out a laugh for real this time.  
  
"Do you pay for everyone you know? And here I thought I was special."  
  
"It's not that!" Dimitri protests. Next to him, Ashe ducks his head with a soft laugh so faint that it's hard to pick up at all. So it's probably, to some degree, a little bit that. "However, I said I would get him a drink the first time I arrived here, only to fail. I need to make up for that." He looks back down to Ashe. "He did help me a great deal, so this is the very least I could do with what is available to me."  
  
He helped, huh? Claude draws up the receipt. "Well, I can't argue with that," he says as Dimitri slides his card through. "So, do you two have anywhere to be?"  
  
"We were coming in from something, actually," Ashe answers. "I recently moved, but there are some things we'd like to add to the apartment now that we've gotten all of the major things unpacked and organized. However, it was only me in the apartment today, and I needed a little bit of help. Dimitri offered, and, well, he's..."  
  
"Tall and strong, yeah, that would help for plenty of things you couldn't do on your own," Claude observes, grinning a little more when he sees a sheepish smile come across Ashe's face. "Well, if you two aren't headed anywhere, I can take a break in a few minutes. It looks like you managed to get right on the tail end of a busier period, so it shouldn't be a problem if I take five."  
  
Dimitri is unfailingly honest in every inch of him, but some parts of him are more honest than others. For example, he perks up with notable interest at the offer. "You're sure?"  
  
"You were looking for an excuse to come visit me anyway, right?" Claude winks, satisfied when it draws out a faint flush across Dimitri's cheekbones. "Just hold on while I make sure that everything will avoid catching on fire in my absence."  
  
Honestly, all Claude really has to do- or really, what he wants to do- is clean up around the counters and some of their machines now that the rush has died down appropriately. Leonie is a tough girl, so he doesn't _really_ need to do it.... But they're friends. And friends don't leave friends to ravenous hoards of coffee addicts and filthy work stations. It's only after that does he tug off his apron to hang it in the back. It'll feel weird if he hangs out with Dimitri and Ashe while they're both nursing drinks of their own, so he grabs a water bottle before heading into the small dining portion of the shop.  
  
It's not a huge space, but it's large enough. Certainly it's more than comfy enough, with various comfortable yellows and oranges draped over a backdrop of warm brown. Dimitri and Ashe have taken up a little table far in the corner, away from the windows, the former with his back to the outside world and all of his attention on Ashe. Well, Ashe and then Claude as soon as he realizes he's coming along, whereupon Dimitri smiles and waves to him. "Was everything alright?"  
  
"A little messy, a little exhausting, but that's nothing new." Twirling a chair from another table over into a blank space around theirs, Claude plops down. It looks like Ashe has gotten through a small portion of his drink. Dimitri is mainly working on the mountain of whipped cream to his drink, straw tugged out and already partially cleaned off. Now that they're not talking in plain view at the counter, he flashes an amused grin Dimitri's way. "So do you start fights with every jerk who tries to raise hell at poor, innocent, undeserving customer service workers?"  
  
Now, he's no expert just yet, but he's pretty sure Dimitri's scowl of a frown has nothing to do with nerves this go around. "He was being rude," he mumbles around the end of his straw before finally tucking it into the drink proper. Only a thin layer of whipped cream remains at this point.  
  
Ashe intervenes. "He's always been like this..." His smile is a mixture of appreciative and embarrassed. "Him and my boyfriend, Dedue. Well, a lot of my friends, actually? I used to work in retail myself, a few years back. It wasn't _bad_ , not at all, and I'm really grateful for a lot of the skills that I picked up there! I had great references." Both of his hands fold around his cup, shoulders hunched upwards a little bit, and Ashe glances to the side. "It was just still..."  
  
"Still retail, right?" Claude finishes for him sympathetically. Every time he's seen him, Ashe has always been a pretty polite and quiet kind of guy, and that seems to be something true to him even when he's not having a passing interaction with a cashier. He needs someone to shittalk the customer for him, at least a little bit.  
  
At least he's not so nice and polite as to disagree, heaving out a sigh and nodding his head. "People could be _difficult_ ," he says, such a polite way of saying the raging asshole really leaps out in some people when they get power, no matter how minor and petty, over another human person. "But less difficult when your friends are nearby, making commentary, or glaring, or getting into full fledged arguments...." He sinks his face into one hand with a sigh.  
  
"I was never as bad as Ingrid could get!" Dimitri protests. "And Felix did help once, considerably."  
  
"I think I would have just preferred it if he had helped without kneecapping a person."  
  
"Wait," Claude interrupts, leaning forward with his bottle held loosely in his hands and a laugh in his throat. "Rewind. What was that about kneecapping a person?"  
  
"Felix stopped a counterfeiter," Dimitri announces proudly.  
  
Ashe intervenes for a little more clarity to this story. "I was new at the time," he explains, "and they told me that I had to check every particular bill over twenty. So I did. And one day it... Actually worked, on a handful of fifties that were being shoved at me. Well, I explained the situation, I was yelled at- Dimitri almost intervened then, actually."  
  
"I don't like it when people yell at workers," Dimitri says bluntly. "It's rude and dehumanizing."  
  
"But, well, that didn't turn out to be necessary, since they turned and ran when it appeared my manager would _actually_ come. Or, at least, they tried." Ashe shakes his head. "Unfortunately, the way out took them by Felix, who was waiting with Dimitri near the entrance, and, well.... Felix practices kendo... and so many other things..."  
  
Suddenly, Claude is so glad that he got to know Dimitri and, by extension, Dimitri's friends. He can tell there is a _wealth_ of hilarious stories just waiting to be dug up. Call him a gossip hound, but he can't wait. He laughs, unrestrained. "How many of your friends are stupidly strong like you?" he teases, nudging his foot into Dimitri's.  
  
"It's only _really_ Dimitri," Ashe says at the same time that Dimitri protests with, "We all work hard, there's nothing wrong with that!" A pause blossoms as they both take in what each other said. That leaves Claude plenty of time to slump over the table, hiding his laughter (badly) into one hand. When he next looks up, Dimitri is shaking his head to himself, and Ashe is smiling down against his drink with the kind of slight grin that reminds Claude of a little brother that's not entirely sure if he should have teased his sibling but glad he got away with it regardless.  
  
Dimitri seems fairly glad for it, even with his head shake and how he tries to continue. "Felix and some of our other friends have always been fairly active sorts. A few years ago, I fell out of the habit.... but I've been working very hard to get back into it. I go to the gym fairly regularly, as a matter of fact, often with one of the others. It's important for me to stay healthy. What about you, Claude?"  
  
"I'm not really a gym person, normally...." He takes a sip from his water bottle. "I get my exercise in plenty of other ways, trust me. But I have thought about taking advantage of free trials I've seen pop up here and there. My friend back at the counter especially has this one she's talked about-" Leaning back until his chair is halfway off of the floor, Claude calls back to Leonie. "Hey! What's the name of the gym you go to again?"  
  
He sees her bright red head peer over the edge of the pastry section of counter. "Captain's!"  
  
"Thanks!" Claude tilts back, chair hitting the floor solidly.  
  
Before he can get a chance to say anything else, Dimitri is already interjecting. "Oh! That would be the same gym that my friends and I all go to. If you're truly interested, Claude, you're more than welcome to accompany us some time. I have been looking for the most opportune chance to introduce you to more of them properly." He and Ashe share a smile. "Ashe was merely good luck."  
  
Well, if he's that eager.... And it might not be too bad, either. Claude gives a one-shoulder shrug. "With how the weather has only been getting worse, I could probably use something to heat me up, honestly."  
  
"Oh, then you'll definitely like Captain's Gym," Ashe tells him, and Dimitri nods his head enthusiastically.  
  
"There's a sauna for people to use, so you'll most certainly like it."  
  
Claude twists around in his seat, faux outraged. "Leonie! You didn't tell me your gym had a _sauna_!" All he gets for his woes is her laughing at him, bright and warm. He turns back to his present company. "Can you believe how much I have to suffer here?"  
  
"I think that means you have a good friendship," Dimitri states quietly, which makes Ashe hide another laugh and draws a grin onto Claude's face. "Then, if you'd like to go, all you have to do is text me when a good day would be." He pauses. "As long as it is not Thursday."  
  
He quirks up an eyebrow. "Why not Thursday?"  
  
"Thursday is when I meet up with Sylvain to go to the gym," Dimitri answers as he nudges his straw along through his drink. "Sylvain is _still_ banned from knowing about my love life."  
  
After he's done absolutely losing his shit again, Claude wipes the tears from his eyes. "Alright, got it, not Thursday. That works for me. I'll look at my schedule and figure something out, then." Taking another swig of water, he points it in the direction of Dimitri's drink. "Although speaking of health, are you going to finish that? My feelings will be hurt if you hate it without even taking a drink."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry-" Tucking his hair out of his face, Dimitri ducks his head down for a quick sip. Claude has the pleasant opportunity of watching him let it rest in his mouth, thoughtful, before he swallows and smiles to Ashe. "You were right- I like the chocolate chips."  
  
"I thought you would. Hopefully you can work anything off by tonight..." Although Ashe looks to Claude, now that he's satisfied with the drink choice Dimitri has. "I hope we aren't keeping you too long? I don't know what the breaks are like here."  
  
Rolling his head back, Claude checks one of the artsy cafe clocks hanging around. "Oh, yeah, I should probably get back to the grind." It's a minor little pun, nothing he expects to be caught, but Dimitri muffles a laugh into his straw and Claude smiles. Good, so Dimitri likes that kind of dumb humor. Ever since the zoo, he's been wondering how to be playful while not being fictitious. Looks like he's found at least one answer. Claude is sure he can eek out a few more eventually. Pushing himself onto his feet, he rolls his neck. "I'll see you two later, then- and I'll be sure to text you by tonight, Dimitri."   
  
He really could get used to that little but genuine smile. "I'll be looking forward to it."   
  
  
  
  
  
Walking into Captain's Gym makes it pretty obvious just why Leonie and Dimitri, plus at least more than a few of Dimitri's friends apparently, really like the place. Everything seems clean when he walks in, and the equipment he can glimpse off in the distance or saw past the large glass windows is all in use and functioning nicely. Claude wouldn't say he's an expert at gyms or anything, so maybe this is all just from the eye of an amateur... although Dimitri and Leonie seem to approve of it well enough. He doesn't have to look very far to find the blond in question either. Once again, as what is apparently a trend, he's arrived early and settled against a wall in the entrance lounge.   
  
"Alright, this is getting ridiculous," he announces. "Do I have to arrive an hour beforehand to get one over you, Dimitri?" At the same time that he's talking, he takes in Dimitri's company. It's a face he's seen a few times in his social media trawling, mostly on Mercedes' accounts and often in the presence of plants or food. However, much like Dimitri, it's not a face that often seems to want the limelight in any fashion. That's fine. Claude prides himself on his people reading skills, and he can tell that Dimitri's friend is a good one. It's in the patient curve of his brow, the way they stick close together, how Dimitri had been smiling over to him up until the sound of Claude's voice had drawn his attention.  
  
Immediately, Dimitri pushes himself off of the wall. "I would have to arrive even earlier if that's what you started to do," he says, playful. He seems a lot more relaxed now, compared to their first date, and Claude can't entirely tell if it's because of how well the date went or his friend, who Dimitri gives that bright smile of his to. "Claude, this is Dedue. Dedue, this is Claude, who I've been telling you about."   
  
In comparison to Dimitri leaning against the wall, Dedue has been sitting down on the bench and he rises up- hooooooooly shit. Claude has always thought he's seen as tall as a guy can go, knowing Raphael. Apparently he's been wrong all this time. Dedue is in fact the tallest person he's ever seen, ever, and he's even more built than Dimitri is. Now, Claude will admit he's a little biased in his labeling, for some fairly obvious reasons, but, before, he would have described Dimitri as a 'hunk'. Dedue is more of an _actual tank_.   
  
Claude doesn't have to be romantically interested to factually state this is attractive in an entirely different way. Raphael is the same, after all.   
  
"Dimitri has had a lot to say about you," Dedue says, extending his hand for a shake. Claude accepts, giving as good as he ever does in handshakes, but it feels as though he would need the jaws of life to get out if Dedue really didn't want to let go. Yeah, this is definitely someone who goes to the gym with Dimitri. "It's nice to finally have time to meet."   
  
"Likewise." Claude grins, shifting his backpack once he's been granted his hand back. "Glad to have a face to the name I heard so much during our lunch together." A small smile is exchanged between the two- not enough to interrupt the conversation but well practiced and carrying with it a sense of familiarity. Claude keeps that in mind. "I've also heard a lot about this gym, although more from my own friends than anything else. So! Do you just sneak me in?"  
  
"We're not breaking any rules," Dimitri says, lightly scolding. "We're simply talking to the receptionist. How would we sneak you in, anyway?"   
  
"Give me five minutes, and I can give you half a dozen ideas," Claude promises him, following the two along as they head to the front desk and pretending he's oblivious to Dedue's carefully considering stare.   
  
But it really can be that simple. Dimitri and Dedue seem to be well known faces to the regular employees of Captain's Gym, welcomed with smiles and by name. That good will works to Claude's favor. All it takes is a brief explanation by Dedue, accompanied by a hopeful smile from Dimitri, and Claude has a nice month long trial that he can abuse to his hearts content. Honestly, that alone probably make the trip worth it.  
  
A short walk to the locker rooms confirms that it's a pretty nicely run place. The locker rooms _themselves_ reinforce that: clean and verdant green tiles make up the floor, nice white walls, and rows of warm brown lockers that are helpfully numbered. Apparently, his two gym companions for the day are so used to coming here that they head to a particular pair of lockers without even thinking twice about it. "Did you bring a lock?" Dimitri asks over his shoulder, plopping his bag onto a bench. "I have a couple of extra ones, if you didn't."   
  
There's that preparedness again. Claude can't help but wonder if this is because he breaks actual metal locks, too. It'd be asinine to say that for a normal person, but, also, this is the same guy who was winning a tug of war with a lion. Plunking his backpack down, he takes out a lock to twirl. "No worries~. Leonie helped me out once again. I think she actually has half a dozen of the same kind of lock just for different places..."   
  
That's not really a thing to admire, and yet Dimitri sure does have that kind of expression on his face. "I have to color code mine..." He tugs his shirt up and over his head in one smooth motion, leaving behind yet another tank top- this one in utter black. "She seems to have a good memory."   
  
"Oh, no, she's just cheap," Claude says airily, earning what he thinks is a faint snort from Dimitri's other side. "Well, that's understandable. Different colored locks, in _this_ economy?"  
  
"Regardless of her reasons," Dedue says, workout clothing matching Dimitri's in terms of black and blue but reversed, "it's a good talent to have. She seems to be a generous friend."  
  
Claude's smile is a fond one. "I'm definitely lucky to have her." Before he can get too openly sappy about his friends, Claude shrugs out of his own coat and laughs. "I mean she saved me five dollars, at the very least!"   
  
" _Now_ who is cheap?" Dimitri asks with a shake of his head, pulling out a phone and earbuds. Still, when he glances over to him, he gives a pause. "Ah!"   
  
Oh, he can guess what that's about. For all that he's in a tee shirt and shorts, aka nothing particularly stunning, Claude preens. It takes a lot of talent to preen effectively in super casual gym clothes, but he manages it. "See something familiar?" When he glances at Dimitri from the corner of his eye, he can see him giving that same bright smile again. Perfect.   
  
The smile is still on his face even as he reaches into a small little pocket on his bag, pulling out some hair ties. "I didn't think you would wear the shirt from the zoo so soon," he says quietly, sliding his patch off, blind side to Dedue only, so that he can pull his hair back into a ponytail. It's a simple and quick action, done so he can pull his eye patch back on as soon as possible. At least it seems to be a habit, since he hardly considers anyone else's potential reaction to it... but then, most people are minding their own business in the locker room. Good to know there's a solid etiquette in the place beyond keeping things clean. "It... looks nice on you."   
  
"I'm glad one of us thinks so, because I'm starting to think I'm underdressed," Claude notes with an amused quirk of his lips, watching Dimitri pull out an entirely different set of shoes while Dedue is already putting his other pair on. "How much do you two bring with you?"  
  
"Not a lot," Dimitri protests. "Really, as long as you have comfortable clothing and a towel, it's fine. Dedue and I are just..." He pauses, realizing that he's pulled out some powdered chalk and sends an almost helpless glance in Dedue's direction. "...We like to be prepared."   
  
"I believe we could be far worse," Dedue comments lightly, tugging on a pair of knee sleeves. Dimitri gives a conceding nod.   
  
"Some people bring their own equipment to add on more weight to their lifts or pull ups. We haven't gotten that far yet." The way he says it makes it seem like an inevitability, and Claude wonders just how close Dimitri has personally come to that. Still, the two finally get done, putting their things away into their lockers, and Dimitri lightly touches Claude's arm. "Come on, let's go stretch."   
  
In conversations during the quiet stretches of time over at the Golden Deer, Claude is pleased to say that he's already more than aware of how.... _passionate_ people can get when it comes to fitness, thanks to Leonie's own excitement on the subject. Dimitri, it seems, is very much in the same way. Or maybe he's just looking for excuses to talk with Claude as the two of them warm up. He goes in depth about the latest things he's read when it comes to the proper kinds of stretches that are required before a good work out, along with food, and sleep.  
  
Dedue is more content as background commentary, agreeing with some things while adding anything else he's heard if it's different from what Dimitri has said. It's so mild that Claude would say it even barely even qualifies as a disagreement. Not uncommonly, when he's watched these types from the sidelines, it's the kind of scene that immediately bursts into arguing... but there's no such thing with Dimitri and Dedue. Even though Claude has to admit his interest in workout regimens is fairly minimal, he ends up smiling along while the two (mostly Dimitri) talk throughout the whole warm up. Honestly, even if he wasn't dating Dimitri, he'd still listen attentively. There's just... something really enjoyable about listening to someone talk passionately about whatever interest they've latched onto.  
  
Previously, he's been able to list classical architecture, rose care, and coding as things he knows an awful lot about despite having absolutely no experience or personal interest in the subjects. Now, he can add physical fitness.  
  
"I feel somewhat embarrassed now that we're getting to it all," Dimitri muses as they head towards the machines proper. "This sometimes isn't a hobby that involves a lot of talking.... I hope it doesn't become too awkward for you."  
  
"You don't talk with Dedue or your other friends?" Claude asks in amusement, taking a moment to marvel just how many people are occupying a lot of the machines. It's clearly a good gym, if so much of the equipment is claimed.  
  
"Well, it's..." There's a brief moment where Dimitri seems to struggle with what he's explaining, mouth scrunched up a bit.  
  
Dedue picks up the slack, not missing a beat. "We have known each other for a long time."  
  
Yeah, he can tell. Claude doesn't really poke more on that particular front, especially with how visibly relieved Dimitri becomes. Instead, he just lets the two escort him through the gym. Over text, he and Dimitri had already talked about just what he was looking for in a workout.  
  
Claude has to say, while he can certainly _admire_ the body of a guy like Dimitri.... It's not what he's looking for in himself. Frankly, he doesn't have the time, resources, or energy to invest in a body like that for himself, either. Mostly he's fine with just being healthy, and maybe building up his stamina a little bit. Yet there's a workout routine for that sort of thing, too. Of course there is. Claude had read a _lot_ of Dimitri's excited ramblings on the subject of aerobic exercises, which had been frankly adorable if long winded.  
  
And that is how the three of them end up over at the bicycling machines. The good news is that a couple of them are open, recently vacated right as they approach. The bad news is that the number of free seats is approximately _two_ , and only two for the time being.  
  
"This happens," Dimitri tells him, although he still sighs. "While a lot of people are here for the weight lifting equipment, cardio is also fairly popular and also more appealing for a lot of individuals who are not inclined to heavy routines. Some are only here for health reasons, after all, and cardio is more appealing on that front than heavy weight lifting." A light tap to his elbow from Dedue seems to keep him from getting too into the talk, and Dimitri pauses to survey the machines. "Still, what to do..."  
  
Well, it's not as though he's the regular gym member here, so Claude opens his mouth to volunteer.... But he's beaten to the punch. "I don't mind waiting," Dedue says, looking around the gym with a slow and thoughtful gaze. "It is not as though the gym is lacking in ways to occupy my time."  
  
"You're sure?" Claude cocks his head to the side, an easy-going smile on his face. "I mean, I'm the new guy to all of this. I don't mind letting you guys get in your time first. I mean-" He laughs. "It's obviously a lot more important to you, right?"  
  
Typically, that's not good enough for Dimitri. "You're here on a free trial," he protests. "With so little time available to you, then you should take full advantage of it. Still.... You're sure, Dedue?"  
  
"It's fine. I can adjust my routine as needed."  
  
"Then..." Dimitri gives him a pat on the back. "Thank you, Dedue."  
  
Dimitri's pat is absolutely gentle. Claude, in contrast, doesn't hold back as he leans around Dimitri for a fond back smack. It's like trying to slap a brick wall. "Yeah, thanks, I appreciate it! When I can break a person's skull with my thighs alone, I'll be sure to give all the credit to you." Surprisingly enough, he actually hears a soft laugh underneath Dedue's breath before the guy nods and begins to head over to where some dumbbells have all been stacked up neatly on a rack. "He's nice," Claude comments as they both go to the bikes, and he tugs a towel from his shoulder to quickly swipe it over the seat.  
  
"We've known each other for some time," Dimitri says, doing the same for his seat before he sets the towel down by him. "Not as long as I've known Sylvain, or some of my other friends... But some time regardless."  
  
"I can tell." After making sure the seat is adjusted right for him, Claude slides on. "So, half an hour nonstop, right?"  
  
"Right." Dimitri grins. "Don't try to get exhausted too soon."  
  
Ah, there's some of that cockiness that makes him go from cute to hot. This trip is now _absolutely_ worth it. Claude feels confident in that assessment, even as the minutes begin to stretch to match the burn catching in his lungs. It's only a slight sensation; he's done a lot more talking, yelling, and walking than some people would think. (Okay, maybe not the talking part, the talking part they'd all expect.) He keeps a steady pace, not too fast but not too slow, and occasionally exchanges words with Dimitri.  
  
The guy was right in that it's not really a conversational sort of activity... But they still have time and breath to exchange a few words here and there. It's easier when Dedue returns, keeping a respectable distance from the bicycles while he does some curls. It's still exercise, but it's not the same kind, and so there's a sort of... balance, Claude supposes.  
  
Fifteen minutes in, and Dimitri exchanges places with Dedue. "I'll put the dumbbells back," he promises his friend. "I need to take a water break regardless." He flashes a smile over to Claude as he walks away, a god damn sight with a dusting of pink on his face from how much he's been pushing himself.  
  
"I'm pretty thirsty too, so come right back!" Claude calls after him, _positive_ that the other meaning goes right over Dimitri's head considering that absolutely clueless smile. That's fine too. As he gets back into the rhythm he'd established, Claude catches Dedue looking over him again. He gives a smile of his own to the big guy. "Hey. Something on my face?"  
  
Dedue slows down his own pace, presumably to have more breath for conversation, and oh boy. That's rarely a good sign. "What made you decide to date Dimitri?" he asks simply, apparently also a fan of the blunt and upfront style of conversation in the same way that Dimitri himself is.  
  
"Honestly?" Claude laughs. Honesty is the best policy with Dimitri; he'll assume the same is true with Dedue. "I was really just curious at first. I thought he was going to make a black hole spawn in the Golden Deer with how dark his scowl was, and then he hits on me? When he didn't mean to? And then he runs away without even sticking around to pick up Ashe's drink? I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't have had a _lot_ of questions. I guess the difference with me is that, when I got the chance to get some answers, I decided to take it instead of ignoring it. That's enough to get me on one date, at the very least, especially in public and far away from where I live."  
  
Because, no offense to Dimitri now that he knows him and only wants to know even _more_ of him, but, well. At the time, it had been enough for Claude to want to be careful. It was why he had made sure to text Hilda at the end of it, after all.  
  
"And now?"  
  
"What is this, an interrogation?" Claude asks, amused, before something hits him and he perks up in his seat with unrestrained delight. "Wait, is this a shovel talk?" he asks, voice breaking at the edges with laughter. "Are you the dad friend in the group? This is great. I thought that only happened in _movies_."  
  
For the kinds of people he'd _expect_ a shovel talk from, and certainly the stoic serious type that Dedue comes off as, he wouldn't expect the amusement to be shared. Yet going against tropes and expectations, there's a ghost of a smile that briefly appears across his face as he keeps pedaling.  
  
"It isn't me you have to worry about when it comes to any sort of shovel talk," he says, voice wavering in that limbo where Claude can't tell if he's serious or joking. Claude bursts out laughing again, having to pause in his own exercise so that he doesn't fall over. Dedue, continuing to demonstrate just how generous he is, patiently waits for him to get control of himself. "Were you expecting one?"  
  
"Ha...." Hands gripping the handles, Claude stretches his arms a little as he pushes himself upright again. "Well, one of my friends certainly had some things to say on my recent dating decisions.... I imagined the reverse had to be true. So. Worried?"  
  
For a few stretched out seconds, Dedue simply... _looks_ at him. It's thoughtful, almost nostalgic in some ways. "No," Dedue announces after the moment has passed. "Not that I've gotten a chance to speak with you."  
  
"I made that good an impression already?"  
  
"In a way." Dedue looks back ahead, returning to his initial speed and rhythm. "But you remind me of someone that I also know I can trust. So, in turn, all I want to know is more about the person Dimitri has chosen to date."  
  
That doesn't really explain a lot... But Claude just hums and goes back to his own routine. If that's enough for Dedue, then he supposes that's honestly the best thing that can be asked for. Besides, it's not as though he's saying everything either. He's not going into detail just how attractive he finds Dimitri, the way he looms over him and has felt so sturdy every time he's laid hands even fleetingly against his body. He doesn't bother to talk about how cute he finds the various little quirks now, the way he turns fully towards someone when he's talking to them or the various scaling of smiles. Claude sure as hell doesn't make the decision to talk about the parts of Dimitri he _really_ likes, that deep and almost painful honesty that he admires. He just continues to bike along.  
  
A minute later finds Dimitri returning with his own water bottle already half full.... and a second opened but otherwise untouched. As Claude begins to slow down, he holds the second out to him. "Here."  
  
Claude accepts with a chuckle. "Do I look that tired out already?"  
  
"You said you were thirsty. Did I mishear?"  
  
There's a dumb little flutter in the pit of his stomach that matches the way his laugh leaves his mouth. See? Stupid little quirks he absolutely adores, wrapped up in that just... bone deep honesty where he cares so much. "No, no, you didn't." He's pretty sure Dedue is watching them from the corner of his eye again, but Claude can't stop himself from smiling. "I just didn't think you'd heard over all the background noise."  
  
"I pay attention." With that settled, Dimitri smiles over to Dedue. "So, how is the cycling going? Good?" Claude can tell that he wants to ask something else entirely, but just politely holding himself back.  
  
Dedue nods, still at his steady pace. "It's out of my usual order, but I believe there's some benefit to that as well," he says. "Claude and I were talking while you were gone."  
  
"Oh? Anything interesting?"  
  
"Nothing too unusual, I would think." Ah, so Dedue either is able to do basic politeness lying as well, or, if Dimitri knew what they'd talked about, he'd have seen it coming himself. Maybe even both. "Although it did remind me of something. How long do you plan on ignoring Sylvain?"  
  
Claude bursts out laughing again. "Have you been giving him the cold shoulder all this time?"  
  
"Not _completely_ ," Dimitri mutters around his water bottle, nose wrinkled in annoyance. "It's merely, this is something he needs to really learn his lesson on." After a gulp of water, he sighs. "Although... I suppose it has been some time. Is it becoming too long, do you think?" He looks between both of them, rubbing his thumb along the bottle.  
  
Finally deciding he's done enough of this particular machine, Claude leans back and lazily stretches his legs out in front of him off of the pedals. "I mean, I don't see why not," he says. "He's probably suffered enough without his dose of gossip, if he's the type of guy I think he is." In other words, very similar to Claude himself. Honestly, Sylvain probably has it worse, considering how dead Dimitri's social media is on any given day. There won't even be an _ounce_ of news, like who he's friended or is following on any given site. Not like Claude has given him anything to go off of, granted, but still. The idea is there.  
  
"I believe he's likely learned his lesson," Dedue agrees, still going and proving that his and Dimitri's stamina is probably terrifying in their length. "As long as you remind him, I don't think there should be a problem."  
  
"Yes, I suppose that's true..." Dimitri nods to himself. "Well, I suppose I will get to that later. Are you all done, Claude?"  
  
He _is_ in fact all done, and he gets off the machine to stand besides Dimitri while the two of them wait for Dedue to finish his round. As it turns out, it's a lot easier to talk when all you're doing is standing around and drinking water. Dimitri takes advantage of the time to point out the rest of the gym, or gym regulars that he's become familiar with. When Dedue is done, there's really no question about them moving on to the next part.  
  
Claude has to say, while the visit still doesn't make him a huge gym buff like they are, there is a sort of enjoyment to it. The mindless repetition of exercise helps let his mind rest in some ways while having the freedom to wander and turn over other thoughts if he wants. It's not exactly the same as meditation, not at all, but it's nice in a similar way.  
  
Claude doesn't try _every_ bit of exercise or piece of equipment that the gym has to offer; he's not here to be that serious. Half the time he gives something a try, and the other half he merely keeps conversation with either Dimitri or Dedue as they spot for one another. They're both honestly considerate types of people, so, combined with Claude's own skill at being friendly and talking, it's not hard to feel included in a way. Besides, even when neither of them can spare time for conversation.... He can keep himself occupied all his own, either on his phone or, well... Let's just say that the more Dimitri works out on benchpresses and other heavy lifting, the more his shirt begins to cling to his chest.  
  
The view is more than worth anything.  
  
What he's really looking forward to, however, comes towards the end of the entire morning all together as all three of them head back towards the locker room area, and Dimitri points out the direction to the showers. "So we'll do a quick rinse, and then head into the sauna. It doesn't have to be a proper shower or anything like that." In fact, Dimitri is already stripping, ignoring the way his top clings futilely to his torso.  
  
Claude _doesn't_ ignore it, although he at least is subtle, like he is in most things. "You know, it's kind of funny how people have this perception of a gym as a gross mess of sweat, but I'm pretty sure I've seen nothing but pretty strict standards of cleanliness," he says in amusement, respectfully keeping his eyes averted when Dimitri exchanges his shorts for a towel despite how he really kind of wants to know. "I guess it's just a sort of projection to how a lot of exercise makes us feel put into the actual place."  
  
"Once I saw someone try to run a piercing station on the other side of the gym," Dimitri muses aloud. "The managers had to chase him out. One time, Felix allegedly saw someone trying to trim their, well, lower hair while in the public restroom."  
  
The tales come out of _such_ left field that Claude almost chokes on his own air supply, which is a problem, considering he's in the process of removing his own shirt. "Well!" he wheezes, forced to lean against the locker with his shirt still hanging off of his other hand. "I stand corrected!"  
  
"I didn't mean-" Dimitri flounders, and Dedue cuts in for him.  
  
"People simply become too comfortable, and treat the locker rooms and corresponding areas as though they were their own home." Dedue already has his own towel around his waist, stuff secured right back into the locker again. "It can be a problem, but a worse one if no one calls them out. Most gym regulars try to avoid such crass behavior. We're fortunate today."  
  
Claude grins up at Dimitri, and takes no small amount of pleasure in how it seems the pink on his face from working out becomes just a _little_ more red. He likes to think himself being shirtless now too and with his smile in place is a good contributor to that. "Felix was the one who took a wooden sword to someone's kneecaps, wasn't he?"  
  
"He.... was."  
  
"The guy who tried to do some of that _personal hygiene_ probably didn't have a good time, huh?"  
  
"Oh, he absolutely did not."  
  
The showers seem to be doing well on both a busyness front and a cleanliness front, and Claude only needs a quick moment to wash himself off of his sweat before he's grabbed his spare and designated sauna towel and is ready to go. He can sense the way Dimitri is quietly nervous as the three of them regroup, hair pulled back completely in a small little bun to match Dedue's, and the reason is frankly obvious. Claude doesn't let him get a word in. All he does is meet that one eye, sparing no lingering time on the scarred and closed one, and grin. "Now _this_ I was looking forward to."  
  
Dimitri's smile is all relief, even as he lets Dedue lead the way into the sauna. "You are more used to the heat, aren't you? I remember you saying something similar to that at the zoo."  
  
"What can I say? I like things hot and steamy."  
  
Now _that_ one seems to stick a little bit as Dimitri's ears turn pink. Yet there's no verbal reaction, just him going to take a free seat. "Well, as I said- you'll like this."  
  
He does. Thank every single god that exists, has existed, and will exist in the future, but he really _really_ does. Once he's found a nice spot to settle in with Dimitri and Dedue, he lets his head fall back with a content sigh. There are only a couple of people inside and, considering the size of it, that's hardly much of a bother at all. "Oh, that feels amazing _immediately_. Is it cheating of me to want to sign up if only for this?"  
  
"The effect tends to be amplified after a good work out," Dedue says from Dimitri's blind side. "Still, it is not as though anyone could stop you. There is no rule in place."  
  
"Well, there are always loopholes to rules anyways." Claude opens his eyes, intending to look over to Dedue, but instead he ends up locking eyes with Dimitri. Or, rather... He ends up _catching_ Dimitri in the act of looking at him. All of him. The blond freezes, caught red-faced, before he jerks his gaze away in a rather failed and belated attempt to look natural. Claude's grin only spreads all the wider, but he keeps talking like nothing had happened. "So I wouldn't really have let myself be stopped if I was _that_ determined."  
  
So there _is_ some sexual attraction in place. That's good. Claude wouldn't say he was getting _worried_ , or anything. It's just that he's a sexual person himself, and there's at least a solid portion of his attraction to Dimitri that's thus sexual in turn. That doesn't mean he would have stopped this whole... thing that's developing between the two of them, if Dimitri had turned out to not have an interest in sex for whatever reason. He's just pleased that it's something that's on the table.  
  
After all, it gives him a _lot_ more ideas.  
  
Maybe his grin is a little too noticeable, although it's not as though Claude is trying to hide it. Hell, Dimitri might even be catching on now, glancing back at Claude from the corner of his eye and huffing. "You know, I doubt anyone who goes to the Golden Deer regularly understands just what a troublemaker you actually are deep down inside."  
  
Claude taps his lips with one finger. "It's my deep dark secret: I'm the biggest kind of troublemaker around."  
  
"Is that something you're normally supposed to be proud of?" Dedue asks dryly. If Claude hadn't talked to him earlier, he would have assumed him to be completely serious.  
  
"Why not? I mean, some sorts of trouble can be _good_. What, are you two telling me that you've never gone after trouble just to have a little bit of fun?"  
  
Dimitri seems to really, truly consider that question, and looks over to Dedue in a way that's absolutely _apologetic_. "The only one of us who has not been trouble has been Dedue, and I am deeply sorry that the rest of us are the way that we are." Dimitri pauses. "And Ashe. And Mercedes, as well, really."  
  
If there's anything that Claude is learning about Dedue, it's that the man's smiles come in _increments_. His smile had been faint, when he'd been talking with Claude, but now it's a fraction stronger as he looks to Dimitri. The evolution of a wisp of light to a full on ghost, one could say. Which turns out to be a pretty relevant comparison, funnily enough, because he says, "Mercedes once convinced all of us to stay the night with her in a haunted hotel, in the same room, and told scary stories to the dawn in hopes that everyone being terrified would help draw out the ghosts more."  
  
"We all agreed to that."  
  
" _Please_ invite me the next time you do something like that," Claude interrupts. "I think this is a show I absolutely need to see." Honestly, he's starting to think that he might just need to bring a video camera to every gathering of Dimitri's friends, and wait for the gold to happen. He's only heard a few stories so far, and yet every single one has made him grin.  
  
The conversation lapses a little bit after that, the heat of the sauna drawing them all to a comfortable resting state. Or, well. Claude is pretty sure him and Dedue are perfectly fine resting. It only takes a few minutes, maybe a little over five, before Dimitri is leaning back with his face completely flushed tomato red and absolutely dripping with sweat. Dedue speaks up. "Almost."  
  
Claude quirks up an eyebrow. "Almost what?"  
  
"It's so hot in a sauna that it dehydrates the body," Dimitri starts, eye squeezed shut. "We're losing so much water to sweating, which is only made worse by how much faster our heart is pumping. Blood pressure is also rising and falling. It's outside the norm-" Dedue lightly brushes against him, something Claude wouldn't have noticed if he wasn't paying attention to both men. That's enough to make Dimitri pause, thinking on something, before he nods to the other with a sheepish smile. "It's... too hot for me." That doesn't seem entirely like he meant to say, but it appears to be good enough for Dimitri.  
  
Well, he won't just leave him hanging like that. Claude makes an educated guess. "Trying to build up a tolerance, huh?" Making that particular shot in the dark is worth it to see Dimitri's relieved smile.  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"Well, that's all good and all, but I'd really appreciate it if you didn't keel over from heatstroke on my first gym visit, and I'm sure Dedue would appreciate that just in general." Claude bumps their shoulders together, ignoring the sweat. He's touched _far_ sweatier guys before. "Give it another minute and I'll be good to go as well."  
  
It's almost kind of funny how complete opposites they are, with Dimitri barely able to go ten minutes (a ten minutes he seems almost proud of even) in the heat. Contrast to that, after taking yet another shower to clear away the sweat and then get their things, Claude nearly shrinks once they've stepped out into the cold again.  
  
"I want to steal that sauna again," he grumbles, squeezing up against Dimitri's side almost immediately. A wind has started up in the time they've spent in the gym, which only makes the cold even worse. Who is he to ignore the convenience of having someone so big that they can block the wind for him? There's a light jump on Dimitri's end at the sudden cuddling, but he soon leans right back into it. Yeah, definitely a cuddler.  
  
"You'll be fine, don't worry," Dimitri says, trying not to sound too amused but unable to stop himself entirely. After making sure that Claude is content, he looks back up to Dedue. "So, you're going to meet with Annette for lunch, aren't you? Tell her that I said hello."  
  
"You'll be able to see her later tonight, likely," Dedue points out, but he's smiling a fraction more than all the times he has before. "But I'll be certain to tell her regardless."  
  
"Always." Laughing a little bit, Dimitri abandons Claude to the cold and inhospitable autumn winds. Claude permits it, considering that it's so that Dimitri can wrap his arms around his friend in a hug tight and strong enough to lift the _actual living and attractive tank_ that is Dedue. "I'll see you later, then."  
  
Once Dedue is gone with a wave of his hand to both of them, Claude immediately leeches right back onto Dimitri's side. "So got plans for tonight, huh?" he asks.  
  
"Oh, no." Dimitri is either too used to this sort of thing, or too eager for it. He leans against Claude in turn, pulling out his phone. "But they all live down the hall from me, now, so I've started to see them a lot more than I used to. You know, simply as a regular occurrence. It's honestly rather nice. Did you have something planned yourself?"  
  
Idly, Claude watches as Dimitri begins to fill out information in an app. He's never used it himself, personally, but it's pretty obvious that its point is for Dimitri to keep track of his fitness and overall health. "Not really. I wanted to see how much you would put me through the ringer and the following sensation of wanting to die, so I tried to keep my schedule open."  
  
"And what is the judgment so far?"  
  
"I think that sauna brought me to life," Claude announces, and relishes in how Dimitri's laugh feels rumbling into his side. "But I'm still a little bit sore, honestly."  
  
Dimitri glances at him a couple of times, shy and careful looks, before he speaks up. "Then... My apartment isn't too far from this gym. It's one of the reasons I chose this one to frequent. If you'd like to take a break for just a little while.... I mean, if that's not too forward of me. If you don't want to, that's more than perfectly fair."  
  
From another guy, Claude would have to wonder if this were a netflix-and-chill kind of situation. With Dimitri, he doesn't even have to entertain the thought. Claude grins up at him. "Honestly, a chance to be nosy and get a look at exactly where you live? I'll take that. I hope you're serious in that it's not too far from here, however, or else my muscles will give out from underneath me. When that happens, I'll be relying on you to carry me like my knight in shining armor."  
  
Grinning, Dimitri begins to guide him along. "After having seen you work so hard in the gym?" he says, adjusting his bag where it hangs on his opposite side so he can put away his phone. "I'm fairly certain that you're far stronger than to collapse like that, Claude."  
  
Claude clicks his tongue. "Tsk tsk tsk. You won't even help a tired and swooning delicate soul like me, Dimitri? I overestimated your chivalry."  
  
"I don't believe you have the right to take that away, thank you, especially when you're committing fraudulent behavior."  
  
A laugh bursts out of him. "Oh, so I'm committing fraud now?" he teases, glad to see Dimitri still smiling. So there is a sense of humor in there somewhere.  
  
"You will be if you try to convince me you're swooning."  
  
"Well, I think I'm enjoying our meetings too much to want to go to prison just yet." He winks at him before shivering at another gust of wind. Mostly he can feel it on his opposite side, you know, the side that doesn't have the benefit of a nice big blond jock as a weather shield. In Claude's book, even _that_ little is too much. He glances up at Dimitri again when the taller man shifts in order to swipe some hair out of his face. Now that they're out of the gym, the ponytail is done with apparently. Dimitri's got the hairband around one wrist, peeking out from beneath his sleeves, and he's got his hair completely loose... which is a problem when the wind is determined not to quit. Claude's curiosity got him into a date with a viking; he's not going to hold back on it _now_. "You know, it would probably be easier for you if you'd kept your hair pulled back. I was actually wondering about that, back in the locker rooms. It seemed like a hassle to take your eyepatch on and off every time you were messing with your hair."  
  
Dimitri needs a second to shove more hair out of his face. "Oh- that? I suppose you could just say it's a personal preference. If I keep it loose while I'm working out, it obviously sticks to my skin and becomes a mess. It distracts me while I'm trying to exercise. However, well, alternatively..." He heaves out a sigh. "I don't like the sensation of it. It doesn't just stay pulled back. Instead, whenever I move, it feels as though it's always being pulled and tugged on. So I'd rather just deal with the bothersome minute it takes for me to fiddle with everything."   
  
Claude hums. "I suppose I can't really relate." Slyly, he glances up at Dimitri. "I _like_ having my hair pulled."   
  
He was hoping for a reaction. _Expecting_ one, even, because that was the point. He wasn't quite expecting Dimitri to _trip on his own feet_ , pitching forward and carrying Claude along with him. Claude jerks his hand up against Dimitri's chest, at the exact same time the other man slams his foot forward to catch himself. For a second, they just stand there, frozen in mid-trip, and slowly meet each other's eyes...  
  
It's seeing Dimitri's wide eyed look that snaps Claude out of it, laughter knocking him off _his_ own feet. The fingers at Dimitri's chest dig in, holding him upright, and he can barely hear Dimitri's " _Claude_!" over the sound of his own cackling.   
  
What a pair of jackasses they must look like, right there in the middle of the sidewalk.   
  
"You're terrible," Dimitri says once Claude's laughter has subsided into snickers and they're both back on track.   
  
"I know."   
  
"How can you say something like that in broad daylight?"  
  
"Very easily."   
  
"...Is it true?" _That_ one is a mumble and a surprise, making Claude jerk his head up to look at Dimitri again. His eyes aren't met in return, with one hand at Dimitri's mouth and pink dusted across his cheeks. "No- I'm sorry, forget you heard that. I was being too forward-"   
  
Claude interrupts him by slipping his hand out from his pockets and slides his fingers along Dimitri's. "I think," he says, voice low and soft, "that I like it when you're forward. And, for the record?" He waits until Dimitri looks back to him again, and winks. "It is." He's already determined not to lie to Dimitri as part of his teasing, after all.... and it's good to let the other guy know where he stands when it comes to sex. Anything more subtle might go over his head.   
  
He'd be lying if he said he wasn't _sort_ of hoping that might spark something for when they reach Dimitri's apartment - a fairly nice looking place that seems to have plenty of amenities for its residents and is perfectly clean. Dimitri's own apartment is up on one of the higher floors, leaving Claude to notice something almost immediately. It's not necessarily surprising, with how nice everything is, but there are only a few apartments on each floor as far as he can tell. That means each one has to be big.  
  
Claude rewinds to what he knows of all of Dimitri's friends: Mercedes and Annette's recent move, Ashe needing help organizing things, Dedue dating all of them apparently... That's at _least_ four people to the apartment, which seems like it could split up a sizable rent decently enough, assuming there isn't more to the relationship that Claude hasn't been told about. (Honestly, he wouldn't be surprised if there were. Every single person involved so far seems like the type who deserves a harem.) But Dimitri hasn't said one way or the other.... So, just to cover all his bases, Claude asks, "So any roommates I get the pleasure of meeting?"  
  
Dimitri has been going through the keys with the clear slowness of someone who's feeling nervous about bringing someone to his apartment (whether for dick related reasons or normal social reasons, unknown), but he pauses at that. "Oh, no, it's only me." Finally finding the right one, he slides it out from the rows with his thumb. "I thought about getting a roommate when I first signed the lease, but it seemed like a bit _much_ at the time. I wanted to simply see if I could get basic.... _living_ down first before I tried 'living but now with another person'. I keep thinking to myself that I should look into it now that I've lived here a few years, but it always slips my mind." Unlocking the door with a click, Dimitri holds it open for him.   
  
It's really little wonder that the apartments need so much room on even a single floor. Stepping inside, Claude lets a whistle roll out between his teeth. It's an actual loft-style apartment, with a large window opening out to the rest of the city and the overlooking loft set-up getting an even nicer view. He can definitely see now why it was likely meant to be a multi-person sort of apartment once he steps even further in. As is typical for this kind of apartment set up, there's nothing separating the living space and small kitchen area from each other, but the addition are a pair of doors in a small hallway that exist underneath the loft and its stairs.  
  
A similar pair of doors exist upstairs, although he can only catch a small glimpse of them from where he is. Despite all the space, there's actually not much _filling_ it. Like, yeah, there's a couch, and television, and rack of DvDs, and a table that's kind of hilariously small in comparison to everything else... (All of it old, and, Claude suspects, thrifted or secondhand.) But there's not a whole lot in terms of decorating. Claude wonders faintly if there's more in the other rooms, or if Dimitri is too broke affording the apartment on his own to have spare cash for making the place look a little more lived in.  
  
Behind him, he can hear Dimitri closing the door and locking it. "I'm sorry about any mess," he says, passing Claude by. "I wasn't really thinking of company this morning." To Claude's eyes, he can spot some not particularly organized shoes cluttering up the space by the door and dirty dishes in the sink. A few books and various bits of mail are scattered along the coffee table. Maybe it's not bleached clean, but Claude wouldn't exactly say it's filthy, either. His room is far worse, and not only because it's a tinier space.  
  
"I'm fascinated by what you'd consider clean, honestly," he says out loud, pausing to shimmy out of his sneakers.  
  
Dimitri actually bends down to untie his shoes, nudging them to the side so that they're out of the way. "I assume it would be the the same standards of clean as the average person." With that done, he doesn't have to go far to duck into the kitchen space. "Do you want something to drink? I was going to make a shake. There should probably be enough for two, I think...."  
  
Claude was blatant enough, right? There wasn't even any innuendo. But no. Dimitri really is the guy who, when he says Netflix And Chill, really is thinking of just watching a movie. He grins to himself a little. Well, it was just to let him know how ready he is for that sort of thing anyway. It's not really a huge loss. "I wouldn't mind. What kind of shake is it?"  
  
There's a pause as Dimitri investigates just what he's actually holding from his rummaging in his cabinets. "...Blueberry? Apparently."  
  
" _Apparently_." Claude doesn't stop the amusement rolling off his tongue. "Do you just grab things off shelves when you're shopping?" Cheerfully, he flops down onto the couch and twists around with his arms resting along the back so he can grin over at Dimitri.  
  
There's a soft huff. "I pay attention to _price_ , and what I need. I'm not wasteful with money!"   
  
"Says the guy who has an entire and enormous apartment all to himself that he keeps forgetting to find a roommate for," Claude notes, resting his chin along the couch. "Why did you even get an apartment this huge in the first place if it's too much for you?"  
  
" _Spite_!" Dimitri protests.   
  
They both pause.  
  
Claude bursts out laughing, face hiding in the cushions, while Dimitri tries to speak over him. "Wait, no, let me take that back, _please_ , it sounds horrible when I say it out loud like that-"   
  
Wiping at his eyes and grinning, Claude replies, "You can take it back, but now I _definitely_ want to know the reasons behind _spite_. And if you won't tell me that story, then I at least want to know what kind of black market deals you're pulling to live in an apartment this huge all on your own."   
  
When there's no immediate answer, that means the real one is always guaranteed to be interesting all on its own. Dimitri fiddles with making the shakes for them, not meeting Claude's highly curious gaze for a while, before he heaves out a sigh. "So," he starts, "the problem with that is that the two issues are... rather intertwined."   
  
Nevermind. Claude is more than perfectly fine with things staying PG between the two of them today. Right now, his curiosity is _killing_ him. And everyone knows mysteries take precedent over dick. "You realize you _absolutely_ can't leave me hanging when you say things like that."   
  
"It's stupid family drama, really." Dimitri shakes his head, finishing the two drinks. "And honestly it's a rather long story. I wouldn't want to bore you." Wandering over, he hands one glass to Claude. "The summary is that my sister and I don't get along for.... complicated reasons. Things happened- a lot of things, really." He settles down on a chair nearby. "A lot of it is rather unimportant to your question, but let's just say that it ended up with her agreeing to help pay the deposit on an apartment that I would pay her back for. A lot of my own work is at home, taking up duties for a job that she... doesn't entirely have interest in, you could say. A lot of it is just mundane nonsense; I doubt you would find any of it interesting."   
  
_He wants to know everything_. Just what kind of absolutely wild drama could lead to.... this? What has a pair of siblings cutting off contact? A sister helping shell out money for her brother? What did the brother do? What kind of at-home work is he doing, and why can't the sister have her hands in it? It takes a frankly commendable amount of willpower to not ask a million questions; it's not too unlike eavesdropping at the Golden Deer whenever drama erupts _there_ in that regard.  
  
The main difference is that Dimitri isn't some random stranger who he'll rarely see again. Dimitri is a guy he's _dating_ , and extremely into. So Claude reins himself in from prodding any further into all of this. Instead, he laughs a little. "I mean, who knows? But I will say you were right in one way." When Dimitri just blinks at him, he grins. "It does sound pretty petty without any other information."   
  
Dimitri groans, slumping back into his seat. "I didn't _mean_ to say it!"   
  
"There, there." Claude doesn't stop grinning, although he nudges his foot against one of Dimitri's legs. They're close enough for that, at least. "If it makes you feel better, it's exactly because I don't know a lot that I'm not going to judge you too much." The longer they date, the higher his chances of learning just what the deal is are anyway. He can be patient.  
  
While it could be easier to poke around online and see if there's anything there.... He's nosy, not an asshole. It's not like it's a matter of life or death if he doesn't learn all about Dimitri's sister anyway. Well, probably. Claude will just have faith in his good luck and Dimitri being too honest to refrain from, say, explaining that his sister is an axe-wielding murderer or something.  
  
Claude takes a sip of shake, enjoying the artificial blueberry of it all, before he moves the conversation along. "So, any plans now that you have me hidden away in your apartment? A grand tour, maybe?"  
  
"No," Dimitri says, so quickly that he's breaking some sort of record. "I told you, I wasn't expecting anyone! It's..." He grimaces. "Worse."   
  
"Ah ha. So the neat exterior is just a lie hiding the filth within."   
  
"Alright, now _you're_ sounding horrible." Dimitri rolls his eye before glancing over to the line of movies near his television. "...Do you like old movies? You know- cheesy black and white ones."  
  
_Brain, you know I was kind of internally joking with you earlier._ Unable to stop himself, Claude says, "Oh, Netflix and Chill?"  
  
Proving he keeps up with modern slang, Dimitri scoffs. "You just got exhausted from the gym. I wouldn't spring that onto you so suddenly, and not after only one date!"  
  
"Oh, I thought this was the second one."  
  
"We went to the gym, and Dedue was with us. Could we really call it a date?"  
  
"That? No." Claude tilts his head just a little bit in the direction of the shelf full of movies, smiling. "But coming to your apartment and then inviting me to watch a movie? I think we can definitely say it is now."  
  
Dimitri tilts his head down, not fully hiding the slight smile crossing his face. "I suppose I can't argue with that logic. But you're still exhausted from the gym." Ignoring Claude's brief 'aw', Dimitri nonetheless gets up to his feet and leaves his drink on the coffee table. "You know, I don't particularly like Netflix?"  
  
Settling in for a good couple of hours, Claude draws his knees up so he can curl onto the couch. "Oh yeah?"  
  
"Mhm." Dimitri begins to browse over his selection thoughtfully. "I mean, it's certainly nice in that it lets you see a wide variety of things that you might not have had the money for otherwise, as many times as you want. It's good for a first glimpse." He glances back at Claude for a quick evaluation before his search becomes a little more pointed. "However... I don't really like the idea of it as something permanent, if that makes sense? For example, if the company decides to randomly take something off of its listing, I get no say over the decision. All I can do is I hope I remember its title or something notable about it so I can hunt it down again. It just makes me feel personally better to have something physical that I can refer to, that I have control over." Finally deciding on something, he tugs it out from its place. "And I suppose I'm also just a traditionalist in the end. Does all of that make any sense?"  
  
"That's quite a lot of thought for not liking Netflix."  
  
He sighs. "I know, I know. It doesn't deserve that much." Starting up the player, he slides his chosen movie in.  
  
"Now, I didn't say _that_." Claude takes another lazy little sip of his shake; he doesn't see a need to finish the whole thing immediately. There's still a whole movie to watch. "There's nothing wrong with wanting something you're sure is in your hands. Besides, I'm pretty sure there's a lot _more_ to say on digital media. You're not wrong for feeling how you do. But enough about that- what are we watching?"  
  
"A terrible shlock of a Canadian film," Dimitri informs him, returning back around the coffee table. Instead of taking his seat, however, he settles down on the opposite end of the couch from Claude. There's no way he manages to make it casual, not with the way he turns his head to look over at Claude, but that's really just bad luck on his part. Claude is sitting on his right and blind side, after all. In turn, all Claude does is grin and shift until his shoulder is brushing against Dimitri's. "But hopefully you'll find some humor in how dreadful it is."  
  
"Oh, that's always a good review."  
  
As it turns out, Dimitri isn't just a fan of old terrible movies. He's also a fan of shows which tear those movies apart with its own little cast of characters, or, at least, that's why he has a copy of Mystery Science Theater 3000 on hand. No wonder he'd been glancing at Claude. Likely, he'd been searching for something he knew that Claude in particular would find enjoyable... and he's right. It's a dumb and ridiculous film all in its own right, and the running commentary just adds to the fun. No one could say it's the most romantic date night in the world, but it doesn't have to be. Claude enjoys it for what it is: a nice bit of down time with a little bit of silliness along someone he likes.  
  
It doesn't take a genius to see that Dimitri likes it too, although Claude sort of doubts it's the movie that keeps his attention for the next hour or so. Maybe he doesn't care for it despite owning it. Maybe he's just seen it so many times that he doesn't _need_ to pay attention to it. Sometimes the cause is less important than the effect. Either way, as the television winds down and Claude's body informs him that it's ready to move a little more now, Dimitri smiles to himself. "That was... nice."   
  
"I rather liked the 'firewood for sale' quip myself."   
  
Dimitri huffs. "That's not what I meant." Claude knows. "I meant... watching a movie in general, with someone. I haven't really done it in a while, but I didn't realize until just now."  
  
The shake has long since been cleaned out, leaving Claude free to stretch his arms out in front of him with the fingers intertwined. "It's funny how that works, huh? We get swept up in so much stuff that's happening in our life that suddenly it's been a year and we're left wondering where the time went."  
  
Rising up to get their glasses, Dimitri nods. "It really is strange and frustrating in equal measures... Although at least I can say I know where my time went, for a while." They've only been together for a short period of time, yet Dimitri is apparently coming to know him fairly decently. He catches that spark of curiosity in Claude's eyes and adds, "I was in a bad place for a while. I've gotten far better since then, but I think in many ways I'm still getting back into... normal habits?" It's almost possible to see him visibly rolling the concept around in his head as he goes over to the sink. "Just doing things in general. I've managed to establish a schedule for myself, which I think is the most important thing, but I'd like to branch out from it... whether doing things I haven't done in a while, or new things entirely." He stays in the kitchen, leaning against a counter while he looks back to Claude. "Does that make sense?"  
  
"Mhm." Claude rolls his head back against the couch to meet Dimitri's gaze. "Does that mean I should be the one to plan our next date, then?"  
  
It really is fun to see how Dimitri jolts up when Claude says things, even things that don't really deserve the reaction. "I swear I'm working on an idea," he says hastily. "I'm just having a little bit of difficulty-"   
  
Claude laughs. "I'm not accusing you of anything, Dimitri," he teases. "And I guess I couldn't really call it a date either. Rather, I was thinking maybe you could meet some friends of mine, too, while we go out for something." And he had been thinking of a way to put a little bit of his heart out on the line too....   
  
Dimitri eases up, exactly as planned. "I... would like to know more about the kind of people you're friends with. What are you all doing?"  
  
A grin stretches across his face. "So, ever taken part of a protest?"  
  
  
  
  
  
"So _you_ would happen to be the Dimitri that Claude has taken to dating, I presume?"  
  
Anxious as he is to impress, Dimitri focuses on making sure his spine stays straight with no trace of slump. Even if he weren't trying to look good, well, for one, terrible posture is a bad habit he got into some years back and one that he's since been trying to break. Not to mention with a person like this... Making whatever corrections he can to his spine almost comes naturally. "Yes, I am," he says politely, folding his hands behind him. "You must be one of Claude's friends. He's spoken fondly of you."  
  
It's either the politeness or Claude himself that seems to satisfy the man blocking the way into Claude's apartment, because he gives a small smile. "Oh, he has?"  
  
"Only a little bit." Dimitri patiently waits for yet another once over that probably doesn't _mean_ to be judging, just... assessing. He's not certain if that really makes it any better, or what exactly he's being assessed for. Not for the first time, he worries about his outward appearance. It's just an apartment visit, so there was really no need to wear anything but a plain shirt and slacks, but still. The eyepatch always throws people off, it seems. At least he put some effort into his hair for once. Bangs styled and everything. He can only hope that's enough. "I hope I'm not intruding."  
  
Whatever test he was unwittingly taking, he seems to have passed it. The man shakes his head. "Oh, no, not at all. I do hope that the state of our apartment isn't too terrible in turn. We did our best to clean it, yet there is simply quite a lot." With that, he finally steps aside to allow Dimitri inside.  
  
Claude's voice drawls out from the depths. "Lorenz, stop harassing my date."  
  
"I am not harassing anyone!" Lorenz protests as Dimitri steps in, closing the door behind him. "I'm simply making sure that the right person is stepping into our home!"  
  
And... it really does feel like a home. Maybe that's just because there's so much of _everything_ , and everything is pressed in together for the lack of room. The living room seems barely large enough to accept the existence of its couch, coffee table practically right up against it, and what appears to be the existence of a kitchen right behind the couch. What seems to be the world's _tiniest hallway_ is right off to the side of it.  
  
That leaves just enough room for a television and the stand it's precariously balanced on.... And the doorway in what appears to be another small space besides that. True to Lorenz's word, it does seem to be as clean as can be made possible. It's just that only so much can be done in such a small space, with the shelves underneath the television close to bursting even without the game system that's shoved there, and someone appears to have tried to cheat because Dimitri is fairly certain that he can see the hint of an empty soda bottle poking out from underneath the couch. It's tiny, filled to the brim, a mess, and Dimitri thinks he rather loves it.  
  
After he's removed his shoes and his coat is slung over one shoulder, Dimitri pokes his head around the door frame into the room past the television- where he had heard Claude's voice come from. "Good evening," he says, only to abruptly pause.  
  
The room past the television is one of the most awkwardly constructed rooms of all time, long and narrow. there's not nearly enough space to put in a couch, not really, but the dining table there barely seems to manage itself. A sort of... bench is built into one end, clearly not helping the matter of space, and someone has placed a fake plastic skeleton daintily there. It's fully dressed, too: a pair of jeans that are only on because the skeleton is sitting down, a novelty tee which proclaims "GHOST IN TRAINING" in bright blue bubbly letters, and what appear to be worn but very clean sneakers. Yet strange as the sight is... It's not the thing which really gets Dimitri's attention.  
  
Claude is seated at the head of the table, directly opposite of the fake skeleton, and he grins up at Dimitri. "Hey yourself," he says, dark hair falling in loose curls all around his face. While his brain doesn't mean to go in too poetic a thought process, all Dimitri can think is how this minor change in hairstyle makes Claude look even more handsome than he already was, a classical painting sort of beauty. Dimitri wants to cup his palm against Claude's face, run his hand along his cheek until his fingers could slide into those soft waves, see what would happen if he gripped just a little tightly and the expression Claude would make-  
  
Nope! Nope nope nope. Dimitri beats back the thoughts as if with the blunt end of a lance before pinning them far away out of sight and out of mind. (Where he will inevitably stumble onto them later; he knows himself well.) While Claude's attractiveness might have been one of the reasons why he had an interest in him from the start, that's no reason to let his thoughts go in _that_ direction.  
  
....Nevermind that a part of his mind is reminding him of how Claude was the very person to tell him how he liked hair pulling. How he would very possibly like it if Dimitri told him, secluded and away from other people, just what he wanted to do to him.  
  
He's been staring, he realizes, although only after Claude cocks his head to the side with a questioning grin. "I'm sorry," Dimitri says hastily, stepping further into the dining.... corner? Space? There's really not much room for him, it feels like. "I've never seen you with your hair like that before, so it caught me off guard." He pauses. "Also, there is a skeleton in this room, for some reason?"  
  
"Oh, that's Parth," Claude says casually, although there's a small spark of pleasure in his eyes from when Dimitri commented on his hair. "He's our fourth."  
  
"Your.... fourth."  
  
"The fourth roommate of this apartment, although, really, he's a terrible one. He's always late on rent. In fact, I don't think he's ever paid it. Plastic skeletons are worse than cats, honestly."  
  
"Please do ignore Claude's teasing," Lorenz says, going around Claude's chair to take a seat of his own. Dimitri finally takes stock of how the table is absolutely covered with various papers, folders, and three different laptops that are all vying for space on an extension cord which snakes around chair legs. "I'm afraid that rather macabre bit of interior decorating was left behind by the last tenant, whoever they may have been. Our landlord apparently didn't do a close inspection, since it was never kicked out... So we stumbled upon it when we were all moving in." Crossing his arms, Lorenz sighs. "I wanted to move it out, really, and yet Claude and Hilda thought it would be an amusing addition. So Parthia Riegan-Goneril has come to be a permanent resident."  
  
"I... suppose that makes a certain amount of sense." He thinks. Dimitri glances back towards the skeleton again. "You gave him a last name?"  
  
"Lorenz _insisted_ that if we were going to have a 'fourth housemate', then he needed a proper name," someone says from over Dimitri's shoulder, and he looks down as a girl in bright pink hair swans by him. Oh, he thinks he knows this one. Claude's description of her was rather on point. "He said he needed clothes, too, although we've only managed to get some things from the thrift store." She presses the very tips of her manicured nails up against her cheeks, sighing heavily. "I feel so bad, having something that unfashionable taking up space... He needs to at least dress for the weather. Nothing could be cute as me, of course, but still."  
  
Dimitri looks over the skeleton again. Maybe it's just the shirt, or the way it's been positioned, but he guesses it... could pass for charming. For someone. "It's certainly... interesting."  
  
Hilda shares a glance with Claude. "You were right, he's _so_ polite." This cheers her up, apparently, and she puts her hand down along the back of Claude's chair while reaching over with her other. " _Anyway_ , I'm Hilda! Claude has said sooooo much about you."  
  
Dimitri takes her hand, giving it a firm shake. At least, he tries to, because that statement is drawing more of his attention. "Oh? What has he said? Besides that I'm polite, I suppose."  
  
As soon as he's asked the question, Dimitri ponders if he's made a mistake of some sort. Hilda and Claude exchange what can only be described as A Look, capitalization necessary. They're both grinning, sharing in some great secret, before Hilda looks back at him. "Oh, lots of things," she says, winking to him. "But he mentioned that you work out a lot, and I can tell just by looking at you! You do a lot of lifting, right?"  
  
Why does it feel as though he's missing something.... Dimitri tucks that thought aside next to his more inappropriate thoughts in the designated dark corner of his mind so that he can focus on the conversation more. "Yes, that's right. It's a good way to stay healthy."  
  
"I agree with you soooo much," Hilda gushes. "I have aerobic classes every weekend, so I get it. I've thought about trying more intense stuff, but I'm just _so_ worried about getting injured, you know? I've heard so many horror stories. But I guess that's just made me not good at lifting heavy things.... Oh, but you know! You must be really great at it, if you go to the gym so much and have muscles like those! I bet moving in to your apartment wasn't a problem at all, huh? If I didn't have Claude and Lorenz as roommates, I don't know _what_ I would have done all on my own..."  
  
Besides her, Claude raises his eyes briefly to the ceiling as if silently requesting answers from the divine, although a smile still plays on his lips the whole time. Dimitri has some questions, but he ignores them instead to give an awkward smile in Hilda's direction. "Well, if you need help again, please let me know. It's no good to get hurt, and it seems as though we may come to know each other fairly well soon enough." At least, if he and Claude keep seeing each other... which he more than hopes they do.  
  
Claude mutters something along the lines of "Another one bites the dust", but it's difficult to hear it properly over Hilda's delighted clapping.  
  
"Thanks, Dimitri! I _knew_ you'd be a good fit for Claude, with a caring attitude like that."  
  
"While it's good that we've all gotten to know him, I rather believe we've gotten off-track," Lorenz says, searching through some of the many papers that are on the table.   
  
Claude snaps his fingers. "Not wrong! So, Dimitri, you looked up more on that law I was telling you about, right?"  
  
Taking this as an indication to finally sit down, Dimitri tugs over a chair for himself and drapes his coat along the back of it. "Yes, I found quite a few things on it," he says, sitting down. "To say that people are rather passionate about the core of the idea is an understatement... But I could only find some specific articles on the details. It was interesting, to see who exactly was reporting on what, and who actually referenced the proposal itself and those who shied away from anything too explicit." From the corner of his eye- Dimitri is still trying to adjust himself so that he can see all three roommates together, not counting Parth- he thinks he sees Claude grin. "So I went to go look on the government site. Which, I have to say, really could use an update."  
  
"Ugh." Hilda makes a face. "You actually read through all that dense legalese? I swear I get headaches every time I glance at it."  
  
"I'm used to it. I don't _like_ it," he adds, "but I do have the experience."  
  
Claude leans forward, arms crossing on the tabletop. "And?" he asks idly, tilting his head towards Dimitri. "How does that experience influence your view of what's going on? I mean, I did say only to come if you were genuinely interested, but it would help to hear where you are on this whole thing."  
  
"Well.... If I may speak frankly?" Dimitri leans forward, glancing over some of the papers curiously. Some of them seem like simple flyers to be put up around the city, or at different businesses. It's a good practice. Even in the age of the internet, people still _go_ places. Others seem more like references, news articles, letters meant to be sent to representatives and other lawmakers. "I found the whole thing to be asinine. If I were to walk into any sudden care clinic or dentist's office, then I can guarantee you that their building measurements would be around the same and yet they're not subjected to this sort of law. They're only abortion clinics, not full blown hospitals which have much more-" The word is rather escaping him, and Dimitri pauses in his attempt to search for it.  
  
Fortunately, it appears that he has others around him who are fine with picking up the slack. Hilda scoffs, still leaning against Claude's chair. "It's sooo unbalanced. Everyone with any sense knows it's just targeting the clinics until the standards are impossible to follow."  
  
"And thus the purpose of the protest, to draw attention to such unbalance that seeks to leverage even more power against those in desperate need," Lorenz agrees, flourishing a small pen. "So it seems we're rather aligned in our goals, then! _Excellent_."  
  
"Not that I invited you for attending the protest," Claude adds, nudging over one of the laptops. It's bright pink, leaving no doubt as to who its owner is, and practically awash in various stickers that make it look simultaneously cluttered but very.... cute? Stylish? Dimitri's never been an expert. "Mostly this is just some last minute prep work to help make sure that the word is spreading and the momentum doesn't lose any steam. You being new to all of this, it'll be good to have your view on what we've put out so far. I don't want to pressure you into anything. I know it's a lot to ask!" He doesn't outright say why it's a lot to ask of Dimitri in particular, but that's fine. The intent is clear, and draws a smile onto Dimitri's own face.  
  
"Actually, since you told me about it, Claude... I have been wondering about it. It doesn't sound as though it would be dangerous, at least not this particular one, and I'd rather take part in it with people I know. It's for a good cause as well."  
  
Almost immediately, Lorenz leans forward with intense interest and pulls towards himself a rather thick folder that was pushed to the side. "Then, if you'll truly be joining us on that weekend, I hope you won't mind a few questions! Information is especially important in this particular duty."  
  
Claude gestures to Lorenz's excitement with a grin. "He's basically our very excitable shepherd with great hair, when it comes to his role in things. If anything happens, like with the police, or if someone needs medical attention, he keeps contact and medical information on hand. Our 'just in case'. He won't know everyone involved in the protest, although I'm sure he'd love to have that information on hand-" Something about his tone says that Claude would love to as well. "-but for more personal stuff like with me and Hilda, well, it definitely helps." His grin widens. "And you get to be a part of the group. Lucky you."  
  
He's probably just saying it to tease and keep the air light. He can't know that Dimitri really _does_ feel lucky, sitting here with passionate people aimed towards a good cause and who care about his well being. Dimitri doesn't say any of that, instead smiling over to Lorenz. "I don't mind answering whatever questions might help," he says while Claude and Hilda use up their time on whatever it is that Claude has pulled up on his laptop.  
  
"Then we'll start from the very beginning." Lorenz clicks a pen open. "I know this may sound redundant, but do bear with me. Your full name, please?"  
  
"Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd."  
  
Lorenz makes a small noise of understanding, pen making elegant movements along paper. It's a simple acceptance... standing in sharp contrast to how Claude and Hilda jerk their heads up, both of them staring at him in complete flabbergasted shock. "What was the sound that came out of your mouth?" Hilda asks slowly, losing all semblance of careful daintiness as she scrunches her brows together.  
  
Dimitri just blinks. "What?"  
  
"Dimitri Alexandre _what_?"  
  
...Oh. Right. It's been a while, hasn't it? "It's simply my last name," he says with a shrug. "Blaiddyd."  
  
"Blay-thid," Claude echoes slowly, stretching out the pronunciation of it. "Dimitri. How do you spell your name again?"  
  
"B-L-A-I-D-D-Y-D."  
  
Closing his eyes, Claude presses his hands together and raises them to his mouth. He is _definitely_ trying to get some answers from the divine now. Meanwhile, Hilda has a hand to her mouth and seems caught between either laughter or horror. "Did your parents have a vendetta against letters?" she asks in quiet awe.  
  
"I really could not tell you, although I will say it does seem as though you two are being a _little_ dramatic," Dimitri notes with a sigh. "It's a perfectly normal last name."  
  
This has all been useful to Lorenz, apparently, who seems pleased with what he's gotten to write down now. If Dimitri had to guess, it's because he didn't have to go through the trouble of asking him to spell his name himself. "Oh, I agree. There are simply some cultures in the world that have a much different relationship with the Latin alphabet, Hilda, and it manifests as such."  
  
"Calling it a 'relationship' really does seem to be the most optimistic description of that pronunciation," Claude says, squinting one eye open to look over at his roommate. "Unless you're talking about the sort of relationship that exists between a slasher movie killer and his victims, in which case, do carry on, Lorenz."  
  
Hilda tugs Claude close to her chest, gently patting at his hair. "Ssshh, sshh, Claude. I know. Let's leave them to their butchering of letters, and I'll braid your hair, alright? I finally found my hair tyes, so we're good to go."  
  
"Continuing on," Lorenz says, focused on his paperwork while Dimitri can't help but be focused on the way Hilda's fingers start to go through Claude's hair. "Do you have a person we can use as a contact, in case anything happens?"  
  
It takes some effort to stop being envious of the way Hilda is carding her nails through Claude's curls, and Dimitri blinks over to Lorenz. "Oh. Well..." Raising a hand to his mouth, Dimitri thinks carefully.  
  
Any one of his closest friends are well aware of his issues, along with where he lives or what medications he takes. The last few years have only seen all of them grow even closer.... especially on his end, if he thinks about it. He's not hidden the struggles he's been going through, at least not to them, not anymore. Partially it's because there's no point in trying anymore, and partially because it's.... better, he thinks. Better to not hide things. So any one of them would be good, wouldn't they? In his head, he starts going down through the list.  
  
Ingrid is one of the most responsible people he knows, and it's only really fact that she'd drop everything if she heard that something had happened to him, he knows that much. At the same time- Dimitri glances briefly at Claude and manages to do a very commendable job of not getting distracted by what's going on with his hair. No, he'd rather not have the two of them meet, not just yet. Ingrid is a good person, Dimitri cannot and would not say otherwise... but she has her own things to work through. Maybe a little later.  
  
Then, Sylvain, maybe? For as annoyed as he is with his friend for the stunt he pulled, well, it's been some weeks since that happened, and he did say he would stop being so hard on him.... But Sylvain already puts a lot on his shoulders, Dimitri knows. If he can keep one thing off of them that doesn't need to be there.... Dimitri moves on, counting through the list.  
  
Finally, he decides on the person he supposes he should have settled on from the very start. "Dedue Molinaro," he answers. "I have his phone number, and I'll be sure to tell him that I gave it to you."  
  
"Perfect. Then, any medications...?"  
  
It's really a rather mundane run of things, nothing Dimitri wouldn't have in his own wallet if he's honest, and it's about as long, too. As Lorenz finishes up, writing down some more things on his sheet, Dimitri's attention is drawn by Hilda's pleased exclamation. "There! Dimitri, tell me what you think of this. My work is _great_ , isn't it?" While Lorenz and Dimitri have been talking, the other two have been hard at work as well, with both of them talking to one another about something on the screen. Yet that's not all they've been doing- at least not Hilda.  
  
Instead, she's been working on Claude's hair this entire time, and the fruits of her effort are.... They really _are_ great. It's only one single little braid that hangs alongside Claude's face, yet it's done perfectly, with the brilliant yellow she's used bringing out the best of his dark hair while matching the verdant green of his eyes. It's just one little change, one little addition, yet Dimitri feels his heart flutter.  
  
"You look amazing," he tells Claude softly, relishing in the particular smile that curves along his lips.  
  
Hilda is grinning too, a small little thing that radiates satisfaction. "You're _welcome_ ," she says, something that feels as though it should be directed towards Claude but instead _sounds_ like it's to Dimitri, instead. Before he has time to decipher the meaning of, well, all of this, she glides around the table to stand behind Dimitri instead. "Anyway, now that Lorenz is done with you, here's what we have so far." She brings up a Word document filled with different blurbs. "You're new to all of this, so you're _perfect_ for an outsider's point of view, even if you are the kind of outside type who understands legalese... Oh, mind if I mess with your hair while you're reading?" When he looks back at her, she's already looking over at- Claude? Or maybe it's Lorenz. It's a little too late for him to have been able to tell.  
  
Well, he guesses it doesn't really matter. Dimitri shrugs. "I don't mind," he says. It's been a long time since anyone has messed with his hair. Then again, it's been a long time since he's had hair long enough for anyone to mess with. "Then, if you'll excuse me..."  
  
When he was in school, Dimitri can remember doing these kinds of things: working towards one goal, everyone contributing their talents and perspectives, a sense of comfortable camaraderie connecting all of them. There had been a lot of things he hadn't liked about his activities in school, all of them to do with expectations and how he looked.... But he had still liked some things. Working in Claude's apartment, getting to know his roommates, making occasional suggestions to the blurbs for various web sites.... It feels like the best of everything he'd liked back in school, and for a greater cause than some he could remember.  
  
He's looking over some of the social media that Hilda tries not to seem too proud about running- doesn't he have a facebook? Do those expire? Maybe he should check in on that- when a comment catches his attention. "Are you expecting counter protesters?" he asks, running the cursor in circles around a response to one of her posts.  
  
Hilda groans, Lorenz sighs, and Claude just laughs slightly. "Well, it's something that's gotten both sides really riled up. I'm expecting a lot of very angry people are calling government offices, especially on their side. Still, I think we'll have them drowned out, if things go as well as usual. I've noticed a lot more people showing up lately, and some of the so-called 'counter protesters' sometimes tend to be more talk than action. Well-" He shrugs, glancing over at his phone briefly. "-honestly, when it comes to this particular topic, we'll see more people than less, but that's fine. As long as it's just the typical conservative religious types, the kind you'd see more in a church pew than at the altar preaching, that's manageable. It's the leader types, the influencers- those are more of a problem. They're the types who will end up on camera when the news crews start rolling in and that's honestly the worst."  
  
"Because they have a better idea of how to spin their side into a favorable position, and their position in the group gets others worked up to start with?"  
  
"Bingo." Leaning over, Claude steals one of Lorenz's many pens. "We can beat them out with overwhelming numbers, if it's just one of the pastor types. Overwhelming noise if nothing else." His grin is wide, matching how Hilda's matches it when they look at each other across the table. "But it's some of the alt-right types I'm thinking more about. They just _love_ the sound of their own voices, and if it's one of those idiots who keeps blabbing about how he'll totally go... Well, it's honestly a fifty-fifty chance that he'll cow out. I'm really glad to say that once they see how many people are responding and planning to come, they shrink away. They have less guts than they'd let people think they do on the internet. They're still a problem, just not when it comes to protests like this. That's something."  
  
Leaning forward with his elbow on the table, Claude presses the pen against his cheek with a sigh. "Still, if one did to try and sell their particular brand of garbage mixed in with everything else that's happening... That'd be a nuisance. Letting them talk at all is one of the worst things." He laughs. "Times like this, it sure would be nice to have an angry white boy to our cause who could slug him and keep him off camera. Well, unfortunately, I like to-" Claude pauses, noting how Dimitri has taken out his cell phone to scroll through it. "What's up?"  
  
"It can be really any white boy so long as he's well enough to take a hit, I imagine?"  
  
"....You know, I was joking, Dimitri."  
  
"Oh, because I'm not."  
  
  
  
  
  
⇀ Hello, Felix!  
  
⇀ I hope I'm not bothering you.  
  
⤝ hey boarhead  
  
⤝ weren't you supposed to go on a date  
  
⇀ How did you hear that I was going out?  
  
⤝ annette told me  
  
⇀ Oh, I see.  
  
⇀ Well, it's not exactly a date. I'm honestly just meeting his roommates and helping them plan out an event. It's nice.  
  
⇀ However, I thought you could help with something.  
  
⤝ wait why are you texting me if you're still on your date?  
  
⇀ I told you, I'm not on a date.  
  
⤝ stfu and come out with it  
  
⇀ Well have you heard about that protest planned next weekend?  
  
⤝ y  
  
⇀ I can't tell if that's a "yes" or a "why", Felix.  
  
⇀ Well either way.  
  
⇀ Would you like to attend it with me?  
  
⇀ :)  
  
⤝ ...  
  
⤝ what the fuck are you doing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter features: Dedue and Lorenz as the dad friends of their respective groups
> 
> also I love Dimitri dearly but fuck his last name, frankly
> 
> Anyway, since last chapter, after some feedback, I'm going with the common suggestion in terms of editing. At the time this is published, this chapter has only had me briefly go over it with my rough editing skills. Callie, my good friend and editor, is looking over it, and I'll be sure to note in another chapter when this chapter gets replaced with the version she cleans up. So we'll see how that works out. 
> 
> As a note, while this chapter talks about what Claude's protest is for, and the next one will delve a little bit into being physically at it, it'll focus more on the.... vibe of the whole thing? And more personal connections. And also a marching band. I don't plan on going too much into the meat of the protest, but I also didn't want to handwave a cause. So if you were wondering about that, there's an answer.
> 
> Also, Happy early Valentines! enjoy all the ship stuff of whatever you're into.
> 
> Note Edit: I realized that the protest Claude is running and the law Dimitri is reference are rather USA-centric! So here's a quick explanation for those who might have missed it.
> 
> It's a pro-choice protest. Basically, in the United States (which a lot of this AU is based off of because I have no other reference quite as indepth), it's really common for anti-choice politicians (often Republicans) to try and get laws passed which screw over abortion clinics. They're the kind of things that don't *sound* bad, but make no sense and are obviously bullshit when thought of in depth. 
> 
> One of the most common types of laws, for example, is making demands on where abortion clinics can be located, or how the building can be structured. Dimitri in particular is referencing laws that demand abortion clinics to have hallways wide enough for two stretches to be able to pass each other. That's the kind of thing that would be necessary in a hospital, but not an abortion clinic, and is often hard for those clinics to get in the first place. 
> 
> If you want to learn more about that, John Oliver has a video on it iirc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRauXXz6t0Y
> 
> It's a good start, and can give you an idea of what to search for for more exact questions.


	4. b-flat out in love

"So you're the boyfriend, huh?"   
  
Wow, he's getting called out so early in the morning _already_? Claude can't help be a little amused, and meets the almost _combative_ gaze of the guy standing on the other side of the counter. Or maybe it's just his whole personality that's combative. After all-   
  
"And you're Felix, I'm guessing?" The same very good friend that Dimitri has no end of stories about, which matches the amount of praise he has, too. It's some sort of friendship if one of the individuals involved can admit the other is antagonistic but one of the best people around. "I can't think of many other guys who'd just poke into my dating life out of nowhere besides a friend of Dimitri's." Especially one who apparently has all the social graces of a cat, which is really _far_ less than any non-cat owner would assume. And, anyway, Claude had seen him on some of Annette and Mercedes' move-in pictures.   
  
Nothing's been said about gossip, but apparently Felix has as sharp a mind as his tongue allegedly is. His eyes narrow slightly. "What did that thick skulled boar say," he mutters to himself, which, can Claude just say? Is a hell of a nickname for really anyone to have. He is _dying_ to ask more, only for Felix to raise his voice to proper conversational levels again. "I'll just have a venti black. Nothing else."   
  
Somehow, that really does seem to fit this guy's personality- and not the bitter part either. Grinning, Claude rings him up. "Won't take a second." And in the meanwhile... Like he always does at his job, Claude people watches. He watches two people in particular as Felix immediately makes his way over to where Dimitri has set up shop in much the same corner as before when he'd visited with Ashe. By drinks alone, they'd be a kind of funny opposing pair, and their appearances only add to the dissimilarities.   
  
On one hand, you have Dimitri: tall, broad shouldered, golden hair and a soft but tentative blue eye, cradling a non-sweetened green tea lemonade in one hand while he inputs some things onto his phone. A diet tracker, Claude has come to learn, and a notekeeping app for what happens throughout his day.   
  
Then, on the opposite end, Felix is a head, maybe half a head shorter, but he holds himself far differently. There's no careful caution to his stride, smooth and sharp, all unthinking confidence. His hair is dark, pulled back and restrained to counter Dimitri's own loose strands, and they draw out the brightness of amber orange eyes. He doesn't seem to hesitate on anything, lightly smacking Dimitri's shoulder as he reaches the table. In a small coffee shop like this, the warm buzz of too many conversations at once drowns out whatever he says, yet it's still clear he's berating the blond.   
  
But it's berating him in a way that draws the two of them all the closer, Felix hitting his shoulder only to lean against it in short order, and Dimitri smiles at him in turn. During their first date, Dimitri had mentioned how important all of his friends were to him, but some more than others he had only gotten to reconcile with in relatively recently. Felix's name had cropped up around then. Right now, watching the two of them lean against each other and Felix's almost protective stance hovering over Dimitri.... Claude has a feeling that, whatever has happened, they've managed to deal with it well enough.   
  
Which is good. Seeing the quiet relief on Dimitri's face when he thinks no one is looking almost makes Claude feel relieved enough on his own, even knowing only scraps so far.   
  
All he really came in for the Golden Deer for was to cover part of someone's shift for a short while before taking the day off. Once his coworker arrives, hastily apologizing and thanking him in equal turns, Claude is in the back and out of his work clothes in a heartbeat. All of it is just warm enough.... to not be warm enough at all. Claude knows that will change once they're in the protest proper. With how big he expects it to be, that just means more people crowded together, and all the activity? That's sure to get him heated up. He's just not looking forward to the interim.   
  
He _is_ , however, looking forward to being nosy, and he gets a prime opportunity right off the bat as he leaves the staff space and hears an infuriated " _What_!" That would be Dimitri, pulling his volume right back down as he and Felix whisper to each other about something. Claude gets just close enough to hear the words "I swear I'm going to ban him again" when Dimitri finally looks up. "Is that really going to be enough for you?" he asks, temporarily distracted from whatever gossip ensnared his attention. Felix only glances at him briefly, not bothering to move his head, before reaching down to mess with something on Dimitri's phone without even bothering to ask. So they're on the same kind of level Hilda and him are on. Good to know.   
  
Claude rolls his shoulders up in a shrug. "Absolutely not," he announces plainly, and is amused at the way Dimitri shakes his head.   
  
"Did I not actually give you one of my coats to wear for colder seasons?"  
  
Coming to stand by the table, Claude looks up from beneath his eyelashes and slyly grins. "Oh noooo," he says, trying for overly dramatic. "I keep forgetting. I guess we'll just have to keep meeting up then until I can give it back to you."   
  
"I do forget things often as well," Dimitri says so _sincerely_. Swing and a miss. Claude notes he'll have to be even more obvious in the future. "I use a certain app that- ah." He pauses, right as Felix is slowly pulling back his hand for what looks like a smack to the back of the blond's head. "Oh. _Oh_. Is this... I see." He smiles a little bit, head ducking down and peering up from beneath those pale eyelashes. As if just to double check, he glances back to where Felix's hand is hovering before his eye returns to Claude. "Then... I'll gladly keep waiting until you remember."   
  
So damn cute. Still grinning, Claude tilts his head towards Felix. Dimitri's firecracker of a friend is only now lowering his hand, settling it to rest back on Dimitri's shoulder. "So, what were you two talking about?" Claude asks, wondering if they're both honest enough that he can get away with _just_ asking.   
  
The answer? Absolutely. Dimitri's lips thin, and he tucks his phone away. "Sylvain has apparently been more of a-"   
  
"Pain in the ass," Felix says bluntly, taking a sip of his coffee while he goes through his pockets for his own phone.   
  
"Felix, no," Dimitri says, chagrined.   
  
"It's true, even if you like pretending to be polite and not cuss him out," Felix mutters, flicking through his phone. "Hey, have an instagram?" That part is directed to Claude, bright eyes flashing impatiently.   
  
He has a couple, actually, for different reasons. "Gonna follow me on one?" Claude asks, grinning and trying to gauge which one he should give to one of Dimitri's friends. He wants to be at least a little consistent with the people Dimitri knows, until he's fully confident just how far the two of them are going in this relationship.   
  
Felix snorts. "Maybe if there's anything worth following. I was thinking of using mine to draw more attention to this protest." Now, as a primo actor and liar himself, amongst his many other talents, Claude can sense a lie when he hears one. This doesn't _entirely_ feel wrong... but he feels like there's something else, with the way Felix glances down at Dimitri.   
  
Dimitri, who's already leaning forward with a smile. "Felix runs a youtube channel," he explains, having apparently been waiting for this the entire time. "It seems rather popular, although I'm not entirely sure how to quantify these sort of things. It's focused on swords, mainly, although he has an ongoing series on various historical battles. He's talked about learning how to make blades himself-"   
  
"Basically, there are at least a few people following the social media accounts for it," Felix interrupts abruptly, despite the fact that Claude is hanging onto every word because he so _very_ wants to know more about sword making. To be specific, he wants to know exactly what kind of laws are actually in place to stop some random no-manners wooden-sword-wielding spitfire from creating his own personal armory within city limits. He feels there has to be one... but also, there very likely may not be. It's amazing, really, what weird laws get put into place, and what common sense ones get missed entirely. Felix, unaware or uncaring of the many questions rolling around in Claude's head, continues. "If I post a quick selfie, then it might help word get out."   
  
Claude laughs. "Well, who am I to refuse free advertising? But it might do better to meet up with Raphael- I told you about him, right, Dimitri? He's the guy who's helping carry around all our fun protest gear. Mostly signs, honestly, but he has a lot of other things. That'll make for a better picture than if we just snap something here in a cozy little coffee shop, right? Speaking of which, are we all ready to go?"  
  
They are, with Felix having downed his coffee before Claude even came over to join the table and Dimitri patiently working on his lemonade. The good news is that it doesn't really take long to make it to where Raphael agreed to pick him and his new friends up. Raphael's van is in even more of a state than Claude's car is, sure as hell _older_ than Claude's is, but still cared for in much the same way. It's while Raphael is getting gas that the three of them gather in the back. There, piles and piles of all sorts of things await them, and they find the time to take a picture using Felix's phone, with Claude in the middle. It's a pretty good picture, with Claude making sure to dictate to Felix what the perfect caption should be. Felix makes some adjustments, of course. Gotta fit his internet brand.  
  
Yet it's as Felix is sending off into the wilds of the internet that he just so happens to matter something... Just a quick little "That should get the fool's attention". It's under his breath, a ghost of a sentence that he clearly doesn't intend anyone else to hear. Claude almost wants to laugh. Suddenly, he has a feeling he knows why Felix cares so much about getting his picture.   
  
  
  
  
  
↬ nice pic on insta  
  
↬ didnt know u and dima had plans 2day  
  
⤝ he's an idiot who decided on this so i'm along to make sure he doesn't get arrested  
  
⤝ besides  
  
⤝ thought i'd meet this new boyfriend of his myself  
  
↬ lol and curiosity finally strikes  
  
⤝ i can see why you gave him your number  
  
⤝ didn't know that's your type too  
  
↬ feliiiiiiix  
  
↬ are u upset abt that?  
  
⤝ it's none of my business what you do, no matter how dumb, so why would I care?  
  
↬ i mean, i'd love 2 know myself  
  
↬ posting pics, calling out my type  
  
↬ lol are u jealous?  
  
⤝ boar says eat shit by the way  
  
↬ hey felix u didnt answer  
  
↬ felix?  
  
↬ we both know dima wouldn't say that  
  
↬ or ok he can send a text that's the Good Boy (tm) version of that  
  
↬ thx 4 that felix   
  
↬ idek i was unbanned!!!  
  
↬ But seriously, is it actually bugging you?  
  
↬ u remember that i said i thought we'd both get turned down right??  
  
↬ i thought it would make dima feel better  
  
↬ that's it, i swear  
  
↬ Felix?  
  
『MESSAGE READ AT 9:52 A.M.』  
  
↬ ok  
  
↬ got it, know it was still a dumb idea  
  
↬ hey listen, my plans got cancelled for next saturday. want to go see that new action movie with lon'qu in it?  
  
↬ my treat  
  
↬ lmk when ur done with the protest  
  
  
  
  
  
Dimitri is pretty sure he rather likes all of Claude's friends, and it's a trend he hopes never fails. Lorenz had been passionate and comforting in his own rather dramatic way. Hilda is bright and cheerful and had given him a litany of health tips, some he'd known, some he hadn't, when conversation in the apartment had turned more domestic instead of political. And Claude is.... Well. There's Claude. He could go on for ages about Claude the more he learns about him, he thinks.   
  
Raphael is no different, taller than he is but not tall enough to beat Dedue, with the kind of smile that Felix describes under his breath as "country as hell". Dimitri kind of understands what he means. Maybe it's because he's the most solidly built person the two of them have ever met, or that his hair is cornfield yellow, but he feels like he belongs in the countryside in all the best ways.   
  
Dimitri finds that he likes talking to him as they drive through the city, making their way to where the protest is scheduled to start. They have a lot to talk about, since Raphael likes working out as well, but their conversation drifts to other things, too. Raphael is telling him about his sister, the absolute light of his life, when he says, "Anyway, that's why I don't like to go to that one pharmacy. I don't think it's worth it, if they're gonna act like that over just some antidepressants. People sure have a lot to say for things they don't know a lot about. I just don't get it, but I figure I don't have to deal with folks saying that about my little sister."   
  
"Yes, I rather understand. It can be difficult, sometimes, even for trained professionals who know better. One day I had to go pick up one of my own medications-"   
  
He's not really expecting Raphael to tap his chin thoughtfully when he says the prescription name. "Oh, hey, think I know that one, maybe. I mean, I might be wrong. I try to keep up, but I'm no good at the complicated names like they like to use."   
  
"Well, it's an anti-psychosis medication," Dimitri says simply, because honesty is better than dragging it out. From the corner of his eye, he can see Felix abruptly stop focusing on his conversation with Claude (something about recognizing cops, Dimitri thinks?) to watch their driver carefully.   
  
Raphael snaps his fingers, wrist balanced against the steering wheel. "Yeah, I think that's the one!" And then, proving there's a reason why Dimitri has come to like all of Claude's friends, he goes, "Be sure to tell me if you need any water or anything. I got all sorts of snacks, too." There's one of those broad grins again, all teeth, 100% country. "I don't know what sorta diet you have, or if you've already taken your pills, but just let me know. I got things for all sorts of people. Never met anyone with that sort of thing before, so I'll just trust you, alright, Dimi?"  
  
They're on nickname basis already. Dimitri is, very quietly but very sincerely, delighted about this fact. He couldn't be more delighted, honestly. "Water will likely be the most important," he answers, more than happy about it. Tapping open his phone, he clicks away from the scolding that he'd given Sylvain and writes down some notes for himself. He'll flesh it out in his journal when he gets home, something to tell his therapists for his approaching session. Note done, he can't help notice that Felix has gone back to talking to Claude. Good. Perhaps this will reassure him that Dimitri really will be alright. "You know, if you have any questions, I wouldn't mind answering them."  
  
"I'll let you know," Raphael says earnestly, checking a street sign as they pass it. "Oh, are you gonna need earplugs? I don't know how much that helps with anything, or if the medication stops all that stuff. I mean, if you deal with hearin' things at all."  
  
"I won't need earplugs, but thank you very much for the offer." Dimitri smiles just a little bit. He hates talking about his condition when the only guarantees are wary looks, overwhelming pity, but Raphael is matter of fact like his therapists are matter of fact. "It's mainly auditory hallucinations that I deal with... but honestly they're more annoying than anything when they surface." Dimitri isn't entirely sure why that is, if it's because he's not stressed or if the medication is doing as it needs to. "Honestly, I don't think I'll hear anything that will be too out of place in a crowd while we're here, if I hear anything at all."   
  
"Oh yeah?"   
  
"It's not always as dramatic as people think," Dimitri muses. "One night, I was simply hearing the sound of someone brushing their teeth obnoxiously loud in my bathroom."   
  
Felix knows this story, and he gives an annoyed groan of experience. "You called me at two in the morning because of that," he says, not sharp enough to be snappish. It's Dimitri's favorite 'the brain is an intrinsically failed organ in all the most ridiculous ways' story. At least, amongst their own little friend group. Dimitri hasn't exactly had the opportunity to tell it to other people. Not until today, anyway.   
  
All Dimitri does is grin over to where Claude is riding shotgun. "And he came to my apartment at two forty-five to keep me company all to sunrise," he says, because Felix truly does care so much, more than anything else. It was true when they were kids, playing with each other and watching him care enough to tear up, and it's true now when he wears nothing but spines. There's a couple years gap that Dimitri doesn't know about... so he's glad that much, at least, hasn't changed.   
  
Felix tells him to shut up, Claude laughs at both of them, and Raphael cheerfully says, "What're friends for, right?" And that's around when they arrive at their stop.   
  
It's not exactly the place where the protest is scheduled to start. That would be because the actual streets and more than a few parking spaces are going to be filled with actual pedestrians, something that makes parking a little bit difficult. That means, unfortunately, forking over what feels like a ridiculous amount of cash for a space in a parking garage. Him and Felix split on it, leaning from the back seat to pass bills over to Raphael. It's the least they can do, after all, since they're only contributing their time and energy for this otherwise, not the planning or supplies that go into it.   
  
Dimitri is expecting to help grab the signs that are piled up in the back of Raphael's van. Instead, Raphael shoulders the enormous hiking backpack that had been resting in a corner and which seems nearly fit to burst with all sorts of things. What things? According to one side of the sign the man rests against his shoulder, apparently all the food and drink he'd told Dimitri about, and then some. The list includes sunscreen, painkillers, tampons, and about a dozen other little things.   
  
Dimitri really does like Claude's friends so much.   
  
Speaking of which- the man in question grabs the other cases that are in the back of the van, because apparently there's nothing here _not_ meant for the protest. This is interesting to Dimitri, because he can recognize the cases and bags that Claude is hauling up around his shoulders. After all, all of him and his childhood friends had to attend music classes, when they were younger. Sylvain and Ingrid had hated it, Felix hadn't minded much at all, and Dimitri had rather adored the activities even though he never pursued the field. (Never had a chance to.) Still, he has to pause just a little bit watching Claude. "Are... you really bringing musical instruments with you to a protest?"   
  
Something about Claude's grin makes Dimitri suspect the man has rather been looking forward to this reaction. "What, didn't I tell you I was in a band on our first date?"   
  
"A band that plays at _protests_?"   
  
He'd be more offended at Claude's laughter if it wasn't so beautifully bright. "That's right!" he says, winking at Dimitri and tugging out a case that seems larger than most. Dimitri does him a favor by picking it up himself; Felix already has the vast majority of signs picked up. That he spins a picket sign as though he's going to beat someone with it is just normal, really, although Dimitri really hopes he doesn't. "If you saw a protest going down the street with a full marching band as accompaniment, you can't say you wouldn't be interested yourself, right?"  
  
That... Well. Dimitri shakes his head. "I suppose I can't argue with that," he says as they clear out the entirety of Raphael's van. "I didn't think of it as a way to draw attention to your cause. It's very clever, and unique." Dimitri wonders if Claude uses such tactics for all the causes he champions- which are vast and many, he's come to learn - before deciding the answer is obvious. Instruments like this, in these numbers, aren't a one time thing.   
  
"Well, there is more to it than that." Claude waits for Raphael to lock all the doors, and then they're off. As they make their way out of the garage and onto the sidewalks, Claude continues to explain. "It's also an important part of morale. Along with all the physical aspects of it, the yelling and the walking, it can also take a lot out of people emotionally. Human beings need to keep their spirits up just as much as anything. When they see something like a marching band in the thick of it, well, that can help."   
  
"The noise probably helps too," Felix says, tapping his fingers against the signs he's carrying thoughtfully. "If you run into counterprotesters, just their existence can make people's morale take a hit... But it's a lot harder for anyone to take them seriously when they're drowned out by trumpets." He quirks up an eyebrow. "Not to mention that makes it hard for the audience to listen to their nonsense as well... Am I _actually_ going to punch anyone?"   
  
Claude laughs. "We can only wait and see," he says, amused. "I do so _apologize_ if I'm ruining any dreams here. But you are right. There's a lot more to it, as well."  
  
As they continue walking, Claude tells them about the whole initiative, the importance of engaging people, of keeping morale up- all of it. Dimitri had never thought that something which sounds so silly could be so important... Although maybe Claude is just gifted with a silver tongue that makes every single thing he says sound perfectly reasonable.   
  
"You should meet a few people in the band, since you seem interested," Claude says when they're almost there, the streets becoming a little more packed with every step they take. Raphael and Dimitri's bulk combined is enough to help forge a path, with Felix and Claude inbetween them. "Honestly, I think there are a few people you'd really get along with."   
  
"Like the flamethrowing lesbian?"  
  
"Funnily enough, she's not allowed to use that in public events like a protest. How unfair, right?" Claude shakes his head, grinning. "Alright, stop here, we're meeting up with everyone else at this spot. And speak of the devil-"   
  
Claude raises his voice and calls out to a group of people that are already clustered together in what space they managed to find. Him and Raphael dive into the throng with welcome and practiced ease, both of them smiling bright enough to light up an entire building. Dimitri can't do that himself, not anymore, so he stays on the outskirts, checking his face again and again to ensure he's not slipping back into a glower by accident. It's easier to do that when it's just himself, and the occasional introduction that he smiles and nods to.   
  
Felix could dive in really easily, if he wanted to. Hell- even if he didn't. There's something about him that's just _likeable_ , once someone survives the initial shock of someone who never holds his tongue and sometimes doesn't even seem to care about the concept of manners. Dimitri is glad to say that it's not just childhood friendship bias that makes him feel this way. How else could anyone describe the way he gets along with Annette, or pulls in Sylvain, or makes Ingrid grin so fondly? So it doesn't matter that Felix scowls, or fights, or makes people intimidated from the force of his no-nonsense personality. Anyone who gets to know him likes him. That's simply a fact.   
  
And yet Felix stays on the edges with him, surveying everything with such casual distance. "It looks like you picked the exact right person to pull you out of your slump," he comments, handing over a sign to someone who comes over at Claude's direction.   
  
"It's just been good luck." Dimitri smiles softly, feeling Felix lean against his arm. It's a small gesture, insignificant to anyone but them. "Thank you again for coming out with me, Felix. It means more than I can say."   
  
"Don't bother thanking me. I just wanted to see what kind of person could actually get you in a protest of all things."   
  
That's probably true, on some level. Dimitri can't even argue that there are other motives, not with how people escape him sometimes. It's even a valid piece of curiosity. While he's making strides towards getting himself out again, not locking himself in his apartment to spiral into another miserable depression hole, this is something of a big step.   
  
At the same time... Dimitri knows Felix. He was worried that he didn't, for a time, but he knows him, and he knows that Felix has watched him longer and more intensely than a great many others. Both of them have their regrets, too, in regards to one another. Dimitri does his best to work through them, to improve upon himself so that he can avoid making the mistakes of his past and to, in some way, atone for the ways he's messed up. Felix... He can't say what Felix has resolved to do.   
  
All he knows is that, no matter what, whenever they're together, Felix watches him so very carefully. He watches _out_ for him so carefully.   
  
This is what he means when he thinks of Felix being so very generous, kinder than one would think. That he's tempered with such bluntness only makes him all the kinder.   
  
Besides, watching a marching band for a protest meet up is fascinating to watch, even for only a few minutes. Dimitri is pretty sure he could just stand there, fascinated by how it pulls together, and that would be fine. Yet Claude won't be satisfied with only that. He talks to a handful of people, directs others, and eventually winds his way back to Dimitri and Felix. "It'll probably take forever if I try to introduce you to every single person here," Claude says, grinning. "But if you're ever interested, either of you, you should come to practice sometime."  
  
"I'll pass on the musical part," Felix drawls, hands tucked into his pockets now that the vast majority of signs have been taken off his person. That only leaves him with one sign he's apparently taken a liking to, balanced in the crook of his arm and along his shoulder. Dimitri hasn't really been paying attention to too many of them, so he's almost startled when he reads its proclamation of 'AGAINST ABORTION? FREE VASECTOMY HERE'.   
  
...Yeah, he can understand why that one appealed to Felix.   
  
Pulling his gaze away from the sign, Dimitri hums thoughtfully. "It's been a long time since I've played an instrument. I'm not sure how good I would honestly be..." Like many hobbies or things he once found enjoyment in, they just ended up... slipping away from him at some point.   
  
Claude laughs again, rocking back on his heels. "You'd be amazed at how many people join up despite having no idea how to play," he confides. "But that's fine, right? We're not in this to make money, or show off as professionals. As long as you come to practice, the rest of us can help you stick to a tune. Once you're out in the streets with everyone else, it's just a matter of sticking to the rhythm by listening to everyone else."  
  
"Then... Maybe if I have a few months to prepare..."   
  
Nodding and pleased, Claude snaps his fingers. "Actually, the rhythm thing is sort of related to what I wanted to talk to you about."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"So, I'm not going to introduce you to every single person we have coming to this thing," Claude says, one hand fluttering as if suppressing the very notion. "But I _do_ want to introduce you to two of my favorite people. They're- well." He tilts his chin down, eyes shining in amusement. "Honestly, if I tried to tell you even a little bit about them, they'd sound like complete fiction. Trust me- I've tried to explain them to strangers in the past. Only meeting them in person or seeing actual video evidence ever seems to make the reality of them sink in."   
  
Felix cocks his head to the side, mouth scrunched up and an eyebrow rising dubiously. "With the way you're talking about them, I'm starting to wonder if I should be worried." He doesn't sound worried at all, of course, just morbidly fascinated.   
  
"I mean, you might end up worried, but not _because_ of them, exactly." Claude perks up, eyes searching through the crowd. "And 'lo, I spoke it into the world and made it happen." Cupping one hand to his mouth, he stretches one high into the air and begins to wave frantically. "YO! Teach One and Two! Over here!"  
  
Dimitri turns around, not entirely sure what to expect.... only that absolutely nothing he could have conjured in his mind would prepare him for what he actually sees.   
  
"Doctor and Professor Byleth?"  
  
The twins pause in the midst of shouldering their way through pedestrian traffic, both of them carting enormous brass instruments that wrap around their entire bodies. Dimitri has never seen either of them in casual clothing before, and it's a little disorienting to see. Both are clad in jeans and tee shirts over long sleeves; it's just the details that differ. Professor Byleth is sporting a shirt with a rainbow sword on it, proudly proclaiming **I AM GAY AND THREATENING**. Besides the professor, Doctor Byleth is wearing something in a more neutral gray that gives the probably sound advice of **MAKE YOURSELF HARD TO KILL**. Both of them seem just as surprised to see him as he is to see them.   
  
So. You know. That's something. He's not entirely sure what that something is, but it is _something_.  
  
"It's a pleasant surprise to see you here, Dimitri," Professor Byleth says, once the two of them have gotten close enough to be heard without yelling- something both siblings seem to have a distaste for.  
  
The good doctor nods in Felix's direction. "That goes for you too, Felix. Is Ingrid here with you two?"  
  
Dimitri had almost forgotten Felix's presence, and he's relieved that Felix is just as flabbergasted as he is. There's something to be said about being knocked dumbstruck with a friend. "She- No, she's not." Felix shakes his head, trying to act as if he wasn't affected at all, because even confusion is still too close to emotional vulnerability, _somehow_. Dimitri, in contrast, keeps his eyebrows raised up, still reeling. "I'm just here with Dimitri."   
  
Oh, no. Dimitri subconsciously straightens his spine a little. He's not sure how he should be acting here, because everything feels either far too casual or far too formal, with no steady median. "Hello, Doctor, Professor," he says politely, because that at least should happen even if nothing else does.   
  
That's around the time Claude fortunately sweeps to his rescue. "You four know each other?" he says, not so much _sounding_ interested as _looking_ it with the way his body leans in close. The only way his intrigue could be more obvious is if he had a tail to wag.  
  
It's a jumping off point, and Dimitri will, quite frankly, take it. "Doctor and Professor Byleth are my therapists," he says, gesturing to the two siblings. That Felix also takes advantage of their services is something he stays silent on. That's for Felix to mention, if he wants to at all. "Professor, Doctor, this is Claude. I, ah, mentioned to you that I had started to date again, didn't I...? He's the one who encouraged me to participate in today's event." A part of him suspects that's not really what you call a protest in any shape or form, but, well. He's flustered, alright?   
  
Claude's eyebrows have risen almost up to his hairline at this new information, and he bursts out laughing. "The world sure is small, huh!" he says, elbowing Dimitri in the side. "Your therapists are two of the best sousaphone players we have. They show up to practice _religiously_."   
  
Dimitri suspects he's using something about that particular phrasing on purpose, because both Byleths- well, the thing about both Byleth Eisners is that neither of them seem particular interested in the act of emoting. Anything that crosses their face tends to be minimalist at best. After long enough, even the faintest curve of their lips tend to stand out starkly to anyone who's gotten used to ever constant baseline nothing.   
  
Right now, "baseline nothing" has shifted on both of their faces, with the professor's brows twitching in the direction of one another, and the doctor _possibly_ frowning. Claude seems to understand he's managed to get through, at any rate, and just grins at them until both siblings shake their heads.   
  
"Ignoring Claude's questionable humor," the doctor says.   
  
"Hey!"   
  
They continue without missing a beat. "How are you feeling, Dimitri? Your health seems to be doing really well."   
  
Professor Byleth tilts their head to the side sympathetically. "Although you don't seem to be sleeping properly... Oh, Dimitri, you're glaring again."  
  
His shoulders jerk, and Dimitri quickly beats down his own awkward feelings towards the situation at hand so that he can at least look presentable in public. "I apologize- but yes, I'm doing well. At least, as well as can be expected."   
  
"Good." He's actually not sure which of them says that single word, only that they both reach out with opposing hands to pat his arms. For the two of them, Dimitri leans forward a little bit into their touch. The person he can physically see speaking up would be Doctor Byleth. "I imagine then that we will have a lot to talk about on your next visit, but we'll keep that restricted to the office."   
  
"But we're here if you need anything," Professor Byleth promises him.   
  
As usual, just being in their presence makes Dimitri feel a little more at ease with the present situation, and he smiles down to them. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."  
  
He's not exactly sure where to keep the conversation going, however, if only because his only frame of reference for both Byleths is their office. Fortunately, Felix is right there with him, and he manages far better. "So what are you two _doing_ with those two huge instruments?"  
  
In perfect tandem, both siblings look down at their instruments, and then back up at the three of them. "It's a sousaphone," Doctor Byleth says.   
  
Professor Byleth adds, "We're in the rhythm section."   
  
That explains... really very little. Claude sweeps in once again, gesturing to the enormous instruments. "Alright, so these puppies? Are _loud_ , in all the ways Teach 1 and Teach 2 here aren't. That's really important when it comes to marching a band through loud city streets, in a crowd of protesters who are already pretty rowdy. Remember when I said the most important thing was just keeping to the rhythm? Well, to keep to the rhythm, you have to be able to _hear_ the rhythm." Putting one hand on his cocked hip, Claude grins at the siblings. "It's a slightly tricky position to have, honestly. Think of it as sort of leading all the songs. Speaking of which, Teach, could you two go talk with Courtney? I think our resident magical girl mascot wants to talk with you two."   
  
Silently, both siblings nod, and they give another one of their distant smiles to Dimitri and Felix. "We'll be seeing you," Professor Byleth says, hurrying in the direction of the blossoming band crowd.   
  
Doctor Byleth follows shortly after. "We hope this is a good experience for you, Dimitri."   
  
All three of them wait very patiently until most of the enormous sousaphones have been swallowed up by the nearby band crowd. That's when Claude turns to them both and casually goes, "Anyway, I think they know actual magic, because the Teaches are the only ones who can be trusted with organizing this crowd. You know, besides me, but it's nice to be able to hand things off sometimes. But with that said-" He leans forward a little more, his arm brushing against Dimitri's. "Those two are actually your _therapists_?"  
  
A sort of strangled noise hops out of his throat. "I suppose they are," he says, a little helplessly. Therapy never prepared him for this scenario. Self-help books didn't prepare him for it. He wonders if there's a forum somewhere that might be able to help with a little direction. "I had no idea they did things like this... although it isn't as though I asked. It, ah, it seemed as though it would be improper."   
  
It's one thing to have a good relationship with your therapists. It's another thing entirely to cross the line from somewhat friendly to being too invasive. Dimitri had always worried about asking too much, _being_ too much, especially with his mind as it is. So he had always thought less was for the best.   
  
Somehow, he supposes he shouldn't be particularly surprised that such things were completely out of his control.  
  
Well, if he's already stumbled over the line by complete accident.... "How long have you known Doctor Byleth and Professor Byleth?" he asks Claude, watching Felix pull out his cell phone. He doesn't mean to pry, but it's also impossible for him to miss how Sylvain's name is the one that gets pulled up. Really. No matter what happens between them, they always return to each other's sides in the end. Dimitri is almost envious, even though he is somewhat certain they do the same in regards to him.   
  
Claude hums thoughtfully. "Well... I would say we're getting close to two years, now. Also, somehow googling them is a complete mess, but do they _both_ have the names Byleth Eisner on their business cards?"   
  
"Oh, yes."   
  
"Nothing to differentiate them whatsoever?"   
  
"...Claude, do you think they have something such as 'the one with the short hair' written underneath 'M.D.'?"   
  
He hadn't meant to make Claude burst out laughing, but he does, hand clutching at his chest. "I mean, it's definitely an idea!" he says, once he's caught his breath again. "I'm just curious. It messes up some new people who join the band, especially when they try to use a gendered prefix like 'Mister' and then _both_ of them look up. I can only imagine how they must drive people up the wall if they try to call their office. Don't they ever get mixed up on whose client is whose?"  
  
"I don't think it's ever been a problem," Dimitri ventures. "Although I can't exactly say for sure. I mean, one of them is a Doctor, and the other is addressed as a Professor, so that's one way to ensure that there is _some_ difference... but I suppose even that is rather easy to mix up to someone who is not familiar with their practice or merely them in particular."   
  
"I think their secretaries have some sort of power," Felix mutters, still texting Sylvain. Dimitri doesn't know how he can talk and text at the same time. He's tried; it's impossible. "Every time I've seen them, whether it's on the phone or in person, they always manage to point someone in the right direction. I wonder if they could do the same thing if their other sibling was there, too."   
  
Claude's eyes light up in unrestrained delight and wonder. "Wait, do they have a _third_ sibling _also_ named Byleth?"   
  
"Oh, yes." Dimitri nods. He's seen the family photos in the offices as well. "They're all triplets. I've never met the third Byleth, however. I think they're also- well, they both always refer to the third rather neutrally, so I can only assume that the third is also rather.... a passing stranger to gender or its binary? I haven't really spoken too much about it with them," Dimitri admits.   
  
Claude looks as though his birthday has somehow miraculously come early, the way he grins. "I have so many questions," he announces, as though that's a delightful thing to have instead of absolutely mind boggling. "First being, quite frankly, how the hell all three of them ended up with the same name. Matching names for triplets, or twins, or any other sort of multiple birth- I can get that. But what kind of parent actually names all three of their triplets the _same name_?"  
  
"Allegedly, it was a hospital mistake," Felix snorts. "I asked. All three of them apparently just decided that was fine, when Jeralt thought they were old enough to have an opinion."  
  
"Secondly, I would _love_ to know how Jeralt Eisner has managed this," Claude continues. "How do you have three kids, and every single one of them turns out to be _this_ level of queer, consistently, across the board? I mean, statistically, I know there had to be _some_ case like this. That's numbers for you. But is it in his genes? Something in the water he drank? Is there a _technique_ -"   
  
Dimitri chokes, just a little bit, on the air he's trying to actively breathe. Felix makes a face and answers for him. "If you can get Jeralt to even humor you with questions like that, I'll be more amazed at that than any answer he could possibly give you."   
  
Claude's grin is as wide as ever. "I'll be sure to let you know if I ever manage to meet him in person and get a chance," he promises. Dimitri puts that down on his list of 'Things To Possibly Be Prepared For', although he isn't entirely sure, even now, just how on earth he's going to do that. "But now I get to turn the question around on you two. How long have you known the Teaches?"   
  
"Personally? Well..." Dimitri does the math in his head, lining up holidays, birthdays- things that seem a little easier than actual years for some reason. Time, he's learned, can be rather meaningless and- well, messy. "Four years?" he offers, because that seems about right. Felix doesn't contradict him on the matter, anyway, and Dimitri trusts his memory on it. "I knew them when their hair was brown- both of them."  
  
"Their hair isn't _naturally_ blue?" Claude immediately switches priorities the second the words are out of his mouth, and leans closer.   
  
Dimitri shrugs. "I haven't the faintest idea. Brown hair certainly matched the pictures of Jeralt I've seen but I also can't... _confirm_ one way or the other." He just walked into a session one day, and his therapist had blue hair. Dimitri hadn't worried about it too much at the time; his brain had been rather preoccupied. "I suppose they don't seem like the type to dye their hair, do they?"  
  
A laugh hops out of Claude. "I wouldn't say that. I know at least one of them has a pair of rather impressive pair of leg tattoos- full sleeve and everything." Before they can continue their talk about the enigmatic Eisner family, someone calls Claude's name, and he looks back towards the gathering. It's now become at least 35% musical instrument to person ratio. "Oh- it looks like they need me now." He grins back to Dimitri and Felix. "It's a big protest, so don't worry if we get split up. That happens. You guys have my number and I have my phone on me, so we can always find our way back. But at least try to stick close enough to hear what we do best." There's something mischievous in the way he grins up at Dimitri. "I'd be heartbroken if you didn't hear my talent on my instrument of choice."   
  
Should he be suspicious about that? Dimitri suspects he should be suspicious. Regardless, he nods. After all, he's here already for this explicit purpose. "We'll be near, don't worry." That's all it takes for Claude to turn and run off back to his group of fellow musically inclined troublemakers.  
  
Dimitri does in fact try to keep true to his word, although he's not entirely sure how protests... _work_ , or anything. He just knows them from the news, or history books. Real life experience is something he's rather lacking in. But then, he supposes that as long as can see Raphael towering above the crowd or the shine of the Byleths' instruments, he should be fine. Stick to who you know, right?  
  
And who he knows the most is honestly....   
  
"So you're really sure about this, huh?" Felix's words are low, easy to miss in the excited buzz of the crowd. It's probably because he's sticking so close to Dimitri that he can hear him so well at all. Their arms are still brushing, a constant but small sensation that draws Dimitri's attention.   
  
Dimitri smiles a little to himself and says nothing of it. Everyone has their own way of being with certain people important to them. For him and Felix, this is it. At least, he likes to think so. It's not as if Felix has ever told him upfront. "Crowds have yet to set me off, Felix. You know that. If I have the energy and ability to take part in these sort of things, I would rather like to."  
  
A rough snort. "You'd like to, huh?" There's a sort of barbed question underneath the first, not meant to hurt so much as pinch, wake up if waking up is what's needed. Felix is good at being blunt and upfront a lot of the time... but sometimes, with the more sincere things, he sidesteps, approaches them indirectly.  
  
Fortunately, there's no need to do any 'waking up', not today. "Yes, I would," he says, quiet and sincere. "If it goes well, perhaps I'll even take up Claude's offer. It would be... nice to do something like this, don't you think?"   
  
"Absolutely not."   
  
Dimitri grins a little to himself at that. Well, that's more than fair for someone like Felix. The two of them have a lot in common, as much as the other would bristle at any comparisons, but... Well, Dimitri has always contented himself with his restrictions as best he's been able to. Doing something new like this just for himself... "Either way, I can see myself liking it. We'll just have to see how things turn out, especially Claude's performance."   
  
There's not a lot more time for talking, after that. With such a massive crowd, Dimitri has no idea when someone gets it in their head to start the move, only that the directive washes over the gathered protesters like a wave. Before he knows it, him and Felix are swept up along with it, and their voices join the chorus all around them. It's- comforting, maybe? Strange and new, while also distantly familiar. There's a kind of unity binding such an enormous crowd together, one that wraps around him as well, and Dimitri observes the passion filling people's faces.   
  
Honestly, the march portion of the protest isn't that long, and Dimitri suspects it's made even shorter by how he's gotten distracted by the feel of it all. When he glances down besides himself, he's amused to see Felix has gone and joined all of them almost perfectly: a fire heating up those already warm eyes, his voice raised along with a chant someone has started (that Felix might have started himself, actually), sign held up high. Dimitri grins, a little taken by the sight, and doesn't regret that night he'd pulled out his phone.   
  
The blaring of a horn knocks him out of his thoughts, and Dimitri jolts up a little bit, looking around. A part of his brain already knows what it is, even before he sees and feels people making room for the group forging through the center. Dimitri can recognize all of them, even if Claude may not have formally introduced him to most.   
  
He can see Hilda marching alongside someone else that is the same burning blur of pink, trumpeting away in unrestrained glee. Lorenz is nearby, recognizable with the way his purple hair flutters behind him, cheerfully following her up with a guitar that he carries with the air of a romantic. Raphael is the easiest person to spot out of all of them, banging away on a drum and laughing loud enough to be an instrument himself. Dimitri is pretty sure he can spot the backpack he's still wearing. Then there are the Byleths, of course, commanding the beat of the current song they're focused on....   
  
Claude was right. The sousaphones really are loud enough that it's easy to imagine them drowning everything else out if a careful touch weren't applied.   
  
Considering one sound in particular Dimitri can hear amongst the cacophony, and who his eyes eventually land on as the source? He almost wishes the Byleths _did_.   
  
"Oh no," Dimitri says morosely.   
  
Felix swears, and not very quietly. "He has a _vuvuzela_!?"  
  
"Oh _no_."   
  
"You have to break up with him." Felix's face is absolutely crumpled with aggravation and disgust as he looks up at Dimitri. "Do you hear me? He's _that_ kind of person. Break up with him before I break his jaw for playing such a foul thing."  
  
Dimitri wants to respond to him. He really does. Yet the more he listens, the more he realizes he knows this song, and he knows this song because it's an absurdly popular one. "If I Had a Million Dollars", although it's hard to tell the sound of it from the crash of noise that is the band.   
  
Instead, he can tell what it is because of _Claude_. Claude, who stops playing long enough to encourage the crowd into singing along to the lyrics. Claude, starting up a call-and-response, waving his vuvuzela around like a conductor's baton. Claude, who absolutely _glows_ and _thrives_ with so many eyes drawn to him, shining like a star, leading the way.   
  
Claude, who manages to spot him in the thick of the crowd, grins so playfully in his direction, and winks.   
  
"Oh, no," he answers, almost helplessly.   
  
Felix stares right up at his face and heaves out an aggravated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Typical, that you'd fall for the most annoying person in the crowd," he mutters, but there's no bite to his words. There's even a slight nudge of his arm against his, a little more purposeful than the barely-there touches that have happened thus far.   
  
Ducking his head, Dimitri smiles down at his chest... and then promptly winces when the vuvuzela blares out again.   
  
Dimitri isn't really sure when protests _end_ , or how. History books, news articles, they don't really cover that sort of thing.   
  
He just knows, personally, when it ends for him.   
  
It's when the pounding in his heart starts to become more physical. It's when he looks at the people besides him, even Felix, and finds nothing but his connection flat-lining. He knows, logically, that he likes Felix, and that him and Felix are good friends. He knows why Felix is here, and why that's important. He knows that the people around him are _people_ , with their own feelings. He knows that they're people and that's they're important because they are _people_ , all for a cause he logically knows is good and righteous.   
  
There's a dead end in his head after that.  
  
He's just tired, he realizes idly.   
  
Felix must realize he's getting tired and overstimulated too, because he takes one look at his face and makes a low 'tch!' of annoyance. "Alright, we're done here," he announces, taking Dimitri with his free hand and pulling him through the crowd.   
  
"Do I really look so bad?" Dimitri asks, even as he allows himself to be guided through the crowd. It's a little bit difficult, but Felix has a way of cutting through and Dimitri is solid in his own way. Still, he peppers in apologies as they walk along, not wanting to seem rude. "It's not as though I'm falling into a depressive episode. This happens, sometimes." There are just so many people, so many voices, so many emotions boiling around him that it's kind of overwhelming. Honestly, it's not even a bad thing, not _necessarily_... but he knows that Felix in particular worries that one thing might trip him into far worse.   
  
So he doesn't feel any offense when his friend just says, "Shut up. It's winding down anyways, so we might as well get some air while everyone else is squeezed in here. I didn't even hear a word about counterprotestors."  
  
Well, there is a point to be had there. "I'll text Claude," he says, "so that at least he knows where we are." That feels as though it's what he should do, after all. They all came here together, and he'd rather not have to walk all the way back home. Distantly, he can understand that Felix shouldn't either, although his friend doesn't mind that sort of physical exertion.   
  
Just to be careful, he texts a couple of different numbers. Claude's is the primary one, but he knows Lorenz and Hilda's numbers as well, now, thanks to the night he spent at their apartment. For the Byleths, he sends it to their emergency cell that they once gave him. By the time he's done, Felix has dragged him out of the protest and a good couple of streets beyond that. Despite the sign Felix is carting around, they hardly get any looks whatsoever. There's some benefits to living in a city, and it's that no one looks twice at bits of mundane strangeness.   
  
  
  
  
  
⬏ better now???  
  
⇀ Yes, thank you. I'm sorry if I worried anyone unduly. It has been a long time since I've attended an event like that. I suppose I was a little overstimulated.   
  
⬏ 💊💊💊  
  
⇀ I'm sorry, I don't understand?   
  
⇀ Oh.   
  
⬏ lol!  
  
⇀ Wait, I understand.   
  
⇀ Yes, I did make sure to take all my medications that morning. However, sometimes that can't help everything. At least, it can't help everything yet.   
  
⬏ y is the brain so trash omg 😒  
  
⇀ I wish that I could answer your question, but years in therapy hasn't really given me an answer besides that apparently it's just that way by design.   
  
⬏ 🙏 god its me 🙏  
  
⬏ 🙏 ur girl hilda 🙏  
  
⬏ 🙏 i got some complaints on ur product so 🙏  
  
⬏ 🙏 like 🙏  
  
⬏ 🙏 wheres the customer support line???? 🙏  
  
⇀ Ha ha.   
  
⬏ dont come 2 the events if u get tired tho omfg   
  
⬏ im surrounded by overachivers wtf 😩  
  
⇀ If I didn't do things because I got tired from them, I think I would still be massively depressed.   
  
⬏ u kno what i mean 😤  
  
⇀ I liked coming over to help. It was nice. Besides, there's no telling if the overstimulation was primarily because I haven't been to an event like that in so long or if there were too many people in general.   
  
⇀ I would like to try at least a few more times to see if anything changes before I call it quits completely.   
  
⇀ I have end of the year parties with my friends and I think I've been doing fairly well there.   
  
⬏ we'll watch out 4 you next time now that we know what 2 look 4  
  
⬏ but omg end of year parties!!!  
  
⬏ 🎉 invite 🎉 me 🎉  
  
⬏ actually invite me over 2day!!!  
  
⇀ You mean you want to come over to my apartment?   
  
⬏ yeah!!!!!!!!!  
  
⬏ claude says it's sooooo nice and i'm soooo jealous   
  
⬏ and i can bring some stuff over 2   
  
⬏ if the events are still 2 much, there's lots of other stuff u can help out w/.   
  
⬏ im the only 1 handling our site can u believe that 😰   
  
⬏ and u got a pov we dont so it would b rly useful!!!!  
  
⇀ I think I would like that.   
  
⬏ and i can tell u all about claude while i'm there 😛  
  
⬏ ???  
  
⬏ dimitri it's been like   
  
⬏ ten min   
  
⬏ omg dimitri are u dead   
  
⬏ ur 2 young   
  
⇀ I'm okay. I apologize for that.   
  
⇀ I just wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that offer.   
  
⬏ oh   
  
⬏ i c   
  
⬏ 😉  
  
⇀ Why are you using that emoji?   
  
⬏ 😉  
  
⬏ anyway tell me where u live already and i'll drop by!! i have nothing 2 do so i'm all good  
  
⇀ Oh, yes, of course.   
  
⇀ But will you please tell me why you keep using that emoji?   
  
⬏ 😉😉😉  
  
  
  
  
  
Claude laughs when he hears the story- or at least the parts of it that Dimitri is willing to share- when he drops by the Golden Deer. "She's fun, right?" Claude asks, cleaning up some of the tables from the lunch rush. Dimitri would help, if he didn't suspect it would be incredibly awkward and out of place. He just feels strange, sitting around doing nothing when someone is working. Sure, he's given money to the Golden Deer, so it's not as though he's contributed absolutely nothing... But that just feels so impersonal. "So, what did the two of you do after she came over?"  
  
"Oh, nothing too interesting." Dimitri avoids eye contact. "She actually did go over past performances you've all done. You are really quite talented; I was quite impressed. Although, honestly... She did seem happy to mostly lounge around my apartment."   
  
"I'm not surprised about that." Claude tosses his cleaning rag into the busing bin a good two tables away, grinning when he makes a clean shot. "You've seen our apartment. In comparison, yours is so _roomy_ , but I guess that's what happens when you have the ability to live on your own, huh?"  
  
Dimitri nods. He can't exactly argue against that. There are a lot of times when it feels like he's made a mistake, that it's just a bit too much space for him and the emptiness depresses him... but on the other hand, there are a lot of benefits, too. It's why he made the choice in the first place, besides all the spite that factored in. Being able to walk around without worrying about if he's bothering anyone else, able to stretch out as he likes, keep whatever he wants... Still. "I prefer how your apartment feels. The three of you have so much- it felt like the entire apartment had its own personality. I rather liked that." He shakes his head. "I told Hilda I should take tips on interior decorating..."   
  
Another laugh from Claude as he picks up the bin. "Oh boy, you're in for it now," he teases. "She must have been over the moon, right?"  
  
Grinning down into his drink, Dimitri concedes, "She made me look up this online shop she's very fond of- something on Etsy. We were supposed to be looking over the band website, but it felt as though we kept straying further and further from our task... Regardless, she does have very good taste. She even introduced me to her own shop. I'm not a person for jewelry or accessories, but even I can understand how good the craftsmanship is. I'll have to think about perhaps getting something for a few of my friends." Ingrid isn't a jewelry person, exactly, but perhaps something subtle, understated... She has an interest in it, after all, Dimitri knows that much. She just doesn't show it off very much, or care for extravagant statement pieces. Annette would have a lot more fun with those, in contrast; maybe he'll tell Dedue and Ashe about it. "It was nice."   
  
"Yeah, she has a talent for being fun to hang out with." Claude laughs into his hand, as if in on some joke that Dimitri is oblivious to. "So, did she say anything about me?"  
  
Dimitri, to his credit, does not freeze up. Instead, he tries to buy himself some time by taking a sip of his drink. A long one. Which might be suspicious all on its own, he realizes belatedly, but it's too late now. It's also still true that he can't help that his throat has suddenly gone dry. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Oh, no reason. Hey, Dimitri, look at this." Claude is right in front of his table when he says it, so Dimitri can only assume that it's something he's put into his bin. Yet when he looks up, that's the exact moment Claude leans over so that his faces are only inches away from Dimitri's and he's looking into those rich green eyes. Dimitri's breath catches, and he jolts completely upright with his face so hot that there's no doubt it's a blazing red. That's answer enough for Claude; he leans back with a huff. "Aaah, what sort of gossip is she spreading about me?" he says, sighing dramatically.   
  
"It wasn't gossip!"   
  
"Mhmmm." Pouting, Claude heads to the back rooms of the coffee shop. His bin is in one hand, balanced against his hip. With the other, right before he disappears into forbidden staff areas, Dimitri sees him pull out his phone.   
  
  
  
  
  
↣ gasp!   
  
↣ 且_(ﾟ◇ﾟ；)ノﾞ ꒰｡·̮ ｡꒱  
  
↣ what's all this!!  
  
⬏ 🙀 what is it?  
  
↣ it's all my tea!  
  
↣ that YOU spilled  
  
↣ ( •̀ω•́ )  
  
⬏ oh :3  
  
↣ hilda!!!!   
  
↣ what did you tell him!  
  
⬏ ;3  
  
↣ which of my many great mysterious secrets have you compromised???   
  
↣ he hasn't said!! so i have to assume the most dangerous ones!!!!  
  
⬏ lol he already knows where u live tho  
  
↣ not that kind of dangerous, hilda ( ｰ̀εｰ́ )  
  
↣ no more pastries from the shop for you   
  
⬏ 😦  
  
↣ i'm losing a single earring from every pair you own   
  
↣ accidentally   
  
⬏ 😫  
  
⬏ i'm helping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
Claude emerges from the back of the coffee shop looking a bit satisfied, and Dimitri gets up from his seat in order to move to the few counter seats available. "It wasn't gossip, I swear," he says, trying to state his case again. "I know I must have looked suspicious, Claude, but I promise we said nothing negative about you whatsoever."   
  
"Oh, I believe you wouldn't say anything negative," Claude says, looking amused now. That's better than being angry, or even pouting. Dimitri will take it. "And I know Hilda wouldn't start shittalking me either. I just love to know everything that's going on. I've told you how curious I am, right? So you having mysterious talks with Hilda? That alone would get me interested. That those mysterious talks are about me? Is _killing_ me, Dimitri."   
  
Biting his lip, Dimitri reflects. He'd sort of wanted to keep it a surprise, along with some things being outright embarrassing, but it... can't be too mortifying to discuss his talks with Hilda, can it? If nothing else, he should tell Claude about the most relevant half. "Well... Honestly, a lot of it was her helping me figure out what our next proper date should be."   
  
In the time that it takes Dimitri to decide on this course of action, Claude has already turned away to clean up his work station while there's a break in activity for the shop. At the sound of his voice- and, more importantly, an answer to his questions- he pauses and perks up. "Oh?" A warm chuckle rolls out of him, and the sound makes Dimitri's heart flutter. "You needed to outsource ideas once again, huh? Well, using my friends is definitely a clever move if that's the route you want to go for."   
  
"It just came up in conversation, really." Dimitri shakes his head. "I'd had some things left out where I was struggling to come up with a good idea that wasn't repetitive, so she asked about it, and I admitted I was having... a little bit of trouble. I wanted to have a good encore. I thought I had some fairly decent leads, but I wanted..." He clenches one fist. "I really wanted to do better than that."   
  
Claude is in the middle of putting something away on his side of the counter, separated by a small glass pane, and he stands on the tips of his toes so that he can reach over it to poke Dimitri's forehead. "You know, when you knock the first one out of the park, I think you're legally allowed to relax a little for dates that are just 'alright'. I'm just saying."   
  
"It wouldn't be proper!" Dimitri protests, a statement that makes Claude laugh for some reason.   
  
"I don't really care about proper." Claude winks at him even as he turns away to get something else from a drawer. "I care about spending time with you."   
  
There's no need for coffee whenever Claude's around. Dimitri is starting to realize that. With his words alone, the other man makes his stomach twist and his heart warm. "Even so," he tries to insist. "I want to make the first two dates, at the very least, something special."   
  
"Even though we've already gotten so casual that you took me out to the gym with one of your best friends and we all got a little bit naked together?"   
  
Dimitri can't tell if Claude's coworker, Leonie, is glancing at him because of _that_ statement or if she's just glancing at him for entirely work-related reasons. Either way, Dimitri blushes furiously again. He's not sure his skin has stopped being some shade of red ever since him and Claude got talking today. "Don't phrase it like that!" he hisses to Claude, and doesn't miss how much the other man grins even with his back to him. "And that doesn't count!"   
  
"I would love to hear the reasoning on why it doesn't."   
  
The problem is that Dimitri does not, in fact, have a good explanation on why it's an entirely different thing, and he's pretty sure Claude knows it. Still, he refuses to give it anything less than his best shot, so he takes a deep breath and straightens his back. "When it's introducing friends, things are allowed to be a little more casual and relaxed." That sounds right, that sounds plausible. Dimitri tries to tell himself that, even as Claude's shoulders shake in silent laughter. "At any rate, she had fantastic ideas."   
  
"I'm sure she did." Claude flashes the grin over his shoulder. "She is one of my friends, after all. They're all capable of great thoughts, just, sometimes restricted to very specific fields. So, figuring out a date for us was _all_ you two talked about in regards to me?"   
  
Ugh. He had to keep pressing. Dimitri pauses for a second before he takes a breath. No, he can't just lie about something like this. It would be- rude. A betrayal of trust, so early on in their relationship. "There might... have been other things," he tentatively admits. "It wasn't meant to be about you, I swear it. Rather, it began because Hilda was showing me pictures of accessories she's made. It started off with her online shop, of course, but... Then she said there were things she had made for herself, personally, that didn't show up there, but instead in more personal photos. You know, things she had tested out by wearing herself and seeing the reactions people got to them, for example."   
  
That's around the time the door to the Golden Deer opens, a couple of people chatting with each other, and Dimitri falls silent. Claude had told him ages ago that it was fine for him to drop by, really, and Dimitri believes him on that front. He just doesn't want to be the kind of person who gets in the way when his friends are working, lest he bother other customers, or get his friends in trouble with management. Claude is really well liked in the Golden Deer; Dimitri doesn't want to ruin that. So he falls silent, sipping on his tea while Claude takes care of the new customers and helps Leonie whip up drinks.   
  
When the customers are gone, drinks in hand, Claude finally flutters back in his direction. "So I came up in a conversation about Hilda's jewelry making talents?" he asks as if he'd never left the conversation at all, a skill that's honestly quite impressive.   
  
Dimitri is starting to run out of drink in his cup to serve as a distraction. "Well... Somewhat?" He clears his throat. "You see, some of the pictures she showed me, they were... Not everything was just her testing something out. For example, there were some things she made that were purely for herself." Dimitri fights the urge to clench his hand awkwardly. "She was especially proud of some of the pictures she'd taken on Halloween, for some of her costumes." It is too subtle, for him to phrase it like that? Is he taking too long to get to the point? Dammit, he might be sidestepping too much. He is answering the question, isn't he? Does Claude even understand what he's trying to say-   
  
" _Oh_." Nevermind. Claude understands perfectly. "So she showed you some of our Halloween pictures, huh?"  
  
Taking another sip of his drink isn't going to do anything to combat the blush on his face from that single syllable, and the way Claude says it, but he has to try. "Yes." Dimitri brushes some of his hair from his face. "It was initially only pictures of her, but she showed some things where the two of you were posing, and, well..." Just remembering all the different Halloween pictures of Claude, the costumes he wore.... That's enough to ensure Dimitri's blush isn't going anywhere. "You looked... very good in everything you chose."   
  
Claude's eyes practically dance as they look over to Dimitri, shining to match how he grins. "I'm glad you approve of my Halloween fashion sense," he says slyly. "Anyway, I have to go get some things from the back, but it'll only take a minute. In the meantime..." Swanning past, he winks at Dimitri. "Let me know what costume you liked me in best."   
  
  
  
  
  
  
↣ nvm~  
  
↣ (ノ＞▽＜。)ノ  
  
↣ my b, my b  
  
↣ thanks hilda~  
  
⬏ 😒🌡  
  
↣ (ο´ω｀ο)ゝ  
  
↣ listen if this gets me in his bed, then i'll buy you extra danishes 4 a week ok   
  
⬏ 👀  
  
⬏ i deserve a lil more i think   
  
⬏ 4 ur reckless accusations to me   
  
↣ i'll get you an extra latte for all next week   
  
↣ but only if there are results   
  
↣ ( ๑‾̀◡‾́)σ»  
  
⬏ 🦴🤞  
  
↣ 🤞🦴  
  
  
  
  
  
"The witch," Dimitri mutters into his cup the second Claude returns from the storeroom with a box of marshmallows in hand.   
  
For a brief second, there's only a stare, and then Claude's eyes light up in understanding. His grin is positively _devious_. "Oh, _that_ one," he drawls, putting the box aside. "It was pretty nice. Although I didn't think you would go for something so _flashy_. You seem a little more... down to earth." Anyone who had seen the outfit in question would understand immediately what Claude means. The 'witch' costume in question hadn't exactly been the traditional sort. Or, in the ways it was traditional, such as the pointed black hat, it had outdone itself in all the ways it was _not_.   
  
Dimitri can conjure up the image in his mind's eye perfectly, which has been his problem ever since he walked into the Golden Deer. That was when, after all, he had to look at the _real_ Claude Riegan, and think of how he would look in person wearing the kind of clothing he'd wore in the Halloween pictures Hilda had cheerfully showed off to him. He'd looked so _good_ in it all- Dimitri hadn't been lying when he said that to Claude.   
  
That definitely included the crop top over his scandalously short minidress, the former in the bold colors of bisexual pride, the latter a- _fetching_ black. His witch's hat had even matched, with a similarly striking color scheme. Yet... None of that had really caught Dimitri's attention. Not in the same way that the fishnets had, stretched out over those finely toned legs, existing between the sinfully short length of the dress and boots that had stretched up all along his calves....   
  
He now sort of regrets inviting Hilda over. If he'd known then what he knows now- that pictures of Claude Riegan in literally any Halloween costume of his choosing are guaranteed to make Dimitri feel as though he should be arrested for the thoughts that go through his head- he'd have refused. Those images haunt him now.   
  
They especially haunt him as he makes the mistake of re-establishing eye contact with Claude, and the barista gives him that _smile_. The sly one, his lips an invitation and his eyes a sly tease.   
  
Dimitri breathes. Slowly. In, out. He's calm. "You wear bright colors very well," is what he says, because the alternative is admitting he wanted to kneel in front of those legs and tug on the fishnet to see if they'd snap back into Claude's skin enough to make him squirm. The alternative is admitting that he wanted to see how that dress would look crumpled up around his hips. The alternative is thinking about those boots digging into his back, his fingers digging into that hair until his knuckles knock off that hat, those green eyes that have had him captivated since day one focused on nothing but him-   
  
So. Yes. It's better this way.   
  
"I wear bright colors well, huh...?" Claude murmurs, still watching him. Still smirking.   
  
While he's _fairly_ certain Claude is professional enough to not flirt or say inappropriate things in a work setting (no matter how empty that work setting is), well. It can't hurt to be careful. So Dimitri makes the executive decision to turn the conversation around to something less likely to make him die inside. "May I ask why a dress?" he says abruptly, because that's a far safer route than the one they're heading down.   
  
If nothing else, it makes Claude pause, and the look on his face eases up substantially. "Oh, that?" he asks, amused. "Is there a reason I _shouldn't_?"  
  
"Not really." Relieved his plan worked, Dimitri shrugs. "It's merely-" Too appealing. "-not something I suppose I often see. I was wondering if there was a reason for it, or a story... If it's just something you like to wear, that's fine as well."   
  
"Well, you're not wrong there." Claude glances over to Leonie, flashing a brilliant smile at his coworker. "I mean, Leonie, you remember when I first started doing my sexy Halloween costumes, right?"   
  
Leonie brings one hand up to her mouth, making at least some attempt at hiding her laughter. "Oh boy, how could I forget?"   
  
Pleased with the reaction, Claude turns back to Dimitri. " _So_ ," he begins, with that storytelling tone of his. "Halloween is starting to gear up store-wise, right? Granted, not _our_ store, here." His hands flick through the air with a careless laziness, gesturing to the cozy atmosphere of the Golden Deer. "I am so relieved to say that we don't start busting into the festive spirit until we hit October 1, and no sooner. Granted, that still means someone forced to stay late or come in early so that we can get all the decorations up, but... It's still better than the alternative."   
  
He spreads both hands far apart, fingers waggling. "But everywhere else didn't get the memo, much like they refuse to get the memo for the winter holidays. So they're busting out all the fun decorations, putting outrageous amounts of candy on sale, and every bit of media is ramping up for its best horror stories... even though we're over a month from the grand day. However, most _importantly_ , costume shops are starting to claim the abandoned corpses of video rental stores and anywhere else that failed to fulfill its potential."   
  
He stops there, sharing a grin with Leonie as the two of them pause in their work. Personally, Dimitri feels they're more than allowed to. The store is spotless, and the only other people are on their laptops. He can't imagine such customers caring when they have their own business to focus on.   
  
"So me and all my friends, we decide... Hey! None of _us_ have made grand plans for what we're dressing up as for Halloween, but we know we all need _something_ , because what's the point otherwise?" Claude rocks back on his heels, laughing. "It's the one time of the year where you can dress however you want and not get the cops or the local group of concerned parents on your case! Well, within _reason_ , anyway..."   
  
Finishing off his drink, Dimitri gives it a swirl and laughs slightly. "Yes, I believe there are certain... laws against some things that are a little too much. Or, rather, too little."   
  
It feels like some sort of victory to make Claude and Leonie laugh at that, Claude more than anything. With his hand over his mouth, he grins past it with his eyes sparkling. "You'll be very glad to hear that we're law-abiding citizens, except on all the days that we aren't." _That_? That makes Dimitri has _questions_. He doesn't have a chance to verbalize even a one before Claude is moving on. "Anyway, so we all head to one of the undead costume stores, erected in the graveyard of a shopping strip, because we _could_ all just order our junk online, separately, but there's no _fun_ in that. We're in there, what, thirty minutes-?" Claude looks to Leonie as he asks, seeking verification.   
  
As it turns out, he ends up getting more than that. Leonie leans forward, arms crossed. "We looked through the _entire_ selection for women - me, Hilda, and two of our other friends - and we could find maybe ten percent out of the entire lot that weren't some variation of sexy _something_."   
  
"I thought the sexy Santa was rather inspired," Claude says mildly. "Most outfits along that line don't keep the beard. I was almost impressed."   
  
Leonie shakes her head before getting back on track. "We were in there for half an hour, but anything that wasn't sexy had a fifty percent chance of being a witch costume. Only one of our friends was excited at first, because she was still kind of excited to be thought of as sexy at all, but even she got tired of it all eventually."   
  
"So there's eight of us in this Halloween costume store," Claude picks up. "Half of us are going to riot from pure frustration. The other half of us are going to support them in it, because true friendship is getting carted to jail after you commit arson with sexism as the fuel. The good news is that none of us committed a felony." He snaps his fingers, both thumbs going up with the movement. "Hilda eventually decided they could all find something better online, or that she could make herself. That's how you can tell Hilda's pissed: she actually _volunteers_ for something."   
  
Dimitri blinks a couple of times. "She's always seemed nice to me so far..."   
  
In a way that feels as though it might become the norm, Claude and Leonie share a look. Dimitri would even go as far as to venture that they know something he doesn't. "Well, she's definitely changed a little from when we all first met," Leonie admits after a moment, shrugging. "And this was a while back, you know."   
  
Well, since he has no interest in prying, Dimitri can buy that well enough. He nods. "People can change very much over the years... But how did that lead to Claude in..." How to phrase this... "Skirts and dresses?"   
  
"Alright, so." Claude clasps his hands together. "I'm sure you can imagine the scene: half of our friends group pissed because their options sucked, and exhausted because more than a couple of them decided to wear heels. In their defense-" He raises a finger. "None of us thought it would take so long to go through the selection and find anything. We underestimated misogyny, which was really where we went wrong. So I thought I'd just... cheer them up a little." Claude has a lot of smiles, but the one he puts on at that is one of Dimitri's favorites: grin broad, all teeth, eyes warm.   
  
Leaning back against one of the counters, Leonie laughs a little to herself. "We're all about to turn and leave, when Claude suddenly grabbed something from the racks- I don't think he even _looked_ at it- and he goes 'Oh right, I still need my costume, and this looks _perfect_!' And it was just-" She turns her head to the side, laughing into her hand again.   
  
Claude's grin hasn't eased up in the slightest. "So, I will neither confirm nor deny if I looked or not," he drawls, shoulders shaking with the laughter in his voice. "But it _was_ perfect."   
  
"One of those dumb sexy nurse outfits," Leonie says with a laugh. "With the thigh high stockings and red heels and everything."   
  
Dimitri perks up. "I recall seeing that one in the pictures Hilda showed me!" It's _also_ been one of many that's been haunting him. "I hadn't realized it was so old."   
  
Leaning in conspiratorially, Claude stage whispers, "The heels were trash, by the way. As it turns out, you shouldn't go shoe shopping at a Halloween store. I had to do some connecting with some people in theatre that I know and find a pair of heels in my size." If his goal was to make Dimitri laugh, then he succeeds quite admirably, and Claude pulls back with that same grin. "Anyway, I guess I couldn't just leave the joke on a one-off note, because things sort of kept snowballing, and, whups, before I know it, I'm handing over my card to the cashier as the proud new owner of a sexy nurse outfit."   
  
"It was _so_ ridiculous."   
  
"But it made you laugh, right, Leonie?" Claude winks at her. "Honestly, it was a completely worthy purchase in every way. For one thing, I kept it hanging around my living room all the way through until Halloween, so all my friends kept laughing whenever they saw it and remembered the scene. For another, I got some _fantastic_ looks sent my way when I wore it for real. After that, well..." He spreads his hands apart. "It just sort of ended up a tradition! For Halloween, my costume is Sexy Friend."   
  
"I'm not sure if that's what I'd call it," Leonie says, still smiling, "but it's definitely fun."   
  
Fun... Dimitri rests one cheek in his hand, musing aloud. "You know, now that you mention it, I can't recall the last time I participated in Halloween... At least not at a party or dressing up. I don't even really watch much television, when October rolls around." Horror isn't something that interests him, even in the circumstances where it's not full of tropes he's rather sick of. He supposes it's just a matter of taste. At the end of the day, he'd rather just indulge in something with a happy ending, where the characters may suffer but that pain almost has meaning so long as they can reach the end of the tale. Horror stories have never been a good source of that.  
  
That stirs Claude's interest. "Oh? Well, me and my friends are having a party, if you're interested. It's a little late as far as invitations go, but you could probably find a costume pretty quickly."   
  
"Well, I may not be going to any parties, but..." Dimitri rakes some of his hair back. "I am going to be staying home for an event the apartment complex is doing...? It turns out there are actually a fair amount of children living there, which surprised me. So I signed up for the trick or treating run they have. They sent out mail asking who would have candy in their apartment this year so that they can make a list for parents, so.... I thought it might... possibly be time to start socializing in my apartment complex and signed up." He spreads his hands out sheepishly. "It's probably past due for me to cultivate a reputation that isn't 'strange man who zones out in front of his mailbox accidentally glaring at his cell phone bill'."   
  
Claude laughs. "Yeah, I imagine that definitely makes some people wonder. But there's no nobler cause than contributing to hyperactive children living out one of the best days of their year."   
  
That's one way to put it, and Dimitri shakes his head while he smiles. "Hopefully their parents understand... But I had spoken about it at my last meeting with Doctor Byleth, and they agreed that it would be a good idea that won't overwhelm me. Oh- That reminds me." He begins to dig out his phone again. "Just the other day, I remembered something, and I thought you would like it. Or, at least, you would be rather interested in it. It's of both the Professor and the Doctor, when I first began seeing them."   
  
"Ooooh?" Claude leans closer to the glass separating them. Dimitri needs a minute, to go through the rather enormous amount of photos he has stored in his phone, before he turns it around to show Claude. Almost _immediately_ , his eyes light up like a neon sign. "The _brown hair_!" he exclaims in a hushed whisper, hand going to the growing grin on his face. "I _still_ want to know if that's their _natural_ hair color."   
  
All he can do is shrug. "I don't know. The pictures on their desks had the third triplet with the same hair color. When their hair changed to green, the pictures all seemed to match... At least, from what I can remember."   
  
Instead of disappointing Claude, this just seems to excite him further. "They _coordinate with each other_ on how they dye their hair! This is amazing. I need to know more."   
  
"I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors," Dimitri chuckles, pulling his phone away. "At any rate, so that's what I've signed up for. I won't be wasting away in my apartment doing nothing. Although... Afterwards, there _are_ some plans that I would like to do."   
  
" _Do_ tell."   
  
"Well..." Dimitri bites his lip, only to remember himself and stop in short order. "Do _you_ have any plans a couple of days after Halloween...?"   
  
That makes Claude pause, surprised for only a split second before his lips part in that pleased warm smile. "You know, I think I could make some time... But only under the right circumstances. Maybe if someone asked me, and he was tall, muscular, blond..."   
  
"What a coincidence." He didn't mean for things to get like this, he swears. It's just, Dimitri can't stop smiling at that response, even as Leonie shakes her head in what he hopes is at least _fond_ exasperation. "I think I fulfill all those requirements. So, I was thinking..."   
  
It's an explanation that he's not able to finish. That's around the time more people begin to filter through the door, and Dimitri falls silent so that Claude can get back to his job. Yet the line never seems to quite end, someone new always joining right as someone else goes to wait for their drink. Eventually, he realizes that there's no end to it, and thus there's no real reason for him to hang around either. He gets up to put his cup in the recycling, waits until he's sure Claude's eyes are free, and waggles his hand awkwardly by his head. Really, he's taken up enough of his time as it is. For the date details, he can simply text or call him.   
  
That's enough for Claude to understand, and he smiles, winking to Dimitri before moving on to the next person in line.   
  
  
  
  
  
↣ so how are the trick or treaters treating you   
  
↣ ( ˘ ³˘)♥  
  
⇀ Hello, Claude.   
  
⇀ It's going really well, I think. Ingrid is here spending the night with me. We're watching a movie in-between children knocking at the door.   
  
⇀ She brought a fake halo and a winged backpack as a casual costume, so it's really nice.   
  
⇀ Oh! Look!   
  
⇀ 『IMAGE ATTACHED』  
  
↣ lol so you got a costume in the end anyway  
  
⇀ It's only a headband but I feel like I'm a little more in the spirit.   
  
⇀ Children keep saying I'm a werewolf pirate.   
  
↣ well you're cute no matter what you are   
  
↣ ৲( ᵒ ૩ᵕ )৴♡*৹  
  
↣ but it's pretty fitting you're a big bad wolf   
  
↣ here's what i'm wearing at the party   
  
↣ 『IMAGE ATTACHED』  
  
↣ ( ๑ ❛ ڡ ❛ ๑ )  
  
↣ fifteen minutes and no response huh?  
  
↣ i'll take that as a pretty good reaction   
  
⇀ I'm sorry about that.   
  
⇀ But Claude, I'm giving children candy!  
  
⇀ Please don't spring that on me.   
  
↣ whoops~   
  
↣ but thoughts?   
  
⇀ I didn't realize red riding hood had so much lace.   
  
↣ so you like lace~  
  
↣ got it~  
  
⇀ Claude, no!   
  
↣ i'll make sure to wear some to our date tomorrow night   
  
↣ (=｀ω´=)  
  
⇀ We're going to get kicked out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time for me to talk a bunch in the author's notes! 
> 
> Dimitri's story about hallucinating the sound of someone brushing their teeth in his bathroom is in fact a real story that best rat and good friend Raile told honestly not that long ago, back when I first began to write this fic. It gave me permission to use this story, which I'm grateful for, because you don't really hear these kinds of tales in regards to schizophrenia. Like, it absolutely can be a debilitating condition (in ways that aren't just "scary hallucinations"), but also, sometimes the brain is just dumb. 
> 
> Secondly, a good chunk of this chapter is dedicated to my friend Courtney, because Claude's protest band? Is based off of actual groups, that she herself participates in and talks about!
> 
> Her main thing is the School of Honk!, which was born out of a local activist music festival and then just grew into more. They still do activist stuff, but they also do other things that are mainly for fun including that festival along with parades. They meet weekly for practice, play together, and march around the school. It's very fun. 
> 
> Honk! has a lot of overlap with BABAM!, another activist protest band that focuses more on the activist part, and is mainly a big mailing list for different events. Just last month, February 2020, they organized a counter protest against some alt-right fuckers (hear about that Straight Parade thing even more months back? Those alt-right fuckers, back again, with a different focus), and were quite successful! 
> 
> So yeah, this is dedicated to Courtney, who gets a shout out as the pink blur of a lesbian that's been mentioned in this fic before lmao. If Honk! and BABAM! sound interesting to you, please, by all means, look them up! They're primarily in Boston, but I'm sure they have similar groups across the States. 
> 
> actual real quote from Courtney: 
> 
> "me, cocking trombone slide and taking aim: it is a beautiful day in the city and you are a horrible fascist"
> 
> Finally, I am pleased and still frankly flustered to say that this fic has, like.... gotten fanart? I'm still losing my shit over this fact, but it's true! So I want to draw attention to both artists!!
> 
> First would be @Glume, who posted art over on instagram under spookyspooterson: https://www.instagram.com/p/B8P8NWsHPQr/?igshid=17mvh8vardu7j
> 
> All of this still delights me. I love more cheeb/cartoony pictures, so an incredibly smug looking Claude hanging onto Dimitri while wearing that coat? Absolutely fantastic. I'll never get tired of seeing one half of a ship in the clothing of the other half, especially when it's so much bigger than them. I also love the picture of Dimitri seated at the table, fiddling with his hands. It captures a nice little moment, I think. This picture makes me regret that I still can't figure out how to get an instagram.
> 
> Then there's AutumnSacura, who posted art on both twitter and tumblr!:   
> https://twitter.com/AutumnSacura/status/1237394026929635328  
> https://autumn-sacura.tumblr.com/post/612215531435687936/dimitri-x-claude-coffe-shop-au-fe3h-fanart-an
> 
> I got linked to this on imgur first, and I'm still absolutely besides myself. There's so much about this picture that I love, especially the lighting as it hits both the boys, but I've gone into an adoring ramble on twitter already, ha ha.


	5. a little sugar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> discussion of death, the afterlife, and old loss in this chapter

"I _knew_ you wouldn't keep me away forever," Sylvain announces, swinging down into a seat and watching as Dimitri purses his lips like he's already regretting his decision.   
  
That would be because Dimitri has the most stiff idea of how to date people, sometimes. That's fine, to a degree. Sylvain won't blame him for the things he knows his oldest friend _wants_ to do: wine and dine, fairy tale romances, knight in shining armor finding his one true love, all of that. It's sappy and corny as hell, yeah, but the base _idea_ really isn't bad. Sylvain even used to imagine how it would feel to use it himself... or, maybe more accurately, how it would be to be on the receiving end of such treatment, when he was really daydreaming.   
  
So, yeah, the base idea isn't bad. It's that Dimitri can be so _unyielding_ sometimes, because his stubbornness can kick in at the worst moments, and that's a problem when he thinks that Sylvain's own womanizer type habits are basically on the level of chainsmoking: gross, bad for the health, and an affront to everyone involved. To a certain degree, he might not even be wrong... but then, that and a lot of other reasons are why Sylvain hasn't actually _done_ any hardcore flirting in a while now.   
  
Leaning back in his seat, messenger bag dropping down under the booth, he wonders if Dimitri will ever realize that fact. His friend is fantastic but, for rather understandable reasons, can get lost in his own head, and it's not like they room with each other anymore. There's no reason for him to have realized just yet.   
  
Regardless of the discussion on "what kind of flirting is good or not", there _is_ no denying that he has a wealth of knowledge on dates, and what constitute ones that people _like_. He's positive that he can help Dimitri out, so long as he just has an idea of what's happening at _all_.   
  
Dimitri must realize this on some level as well, although he'd dig his heels in and collapse to the floor if anyone ever tried to drag it out of him. All he does is sigh, hands curling around his cup of water. "You know, one of these days I really will hold to it," Dimitri threatens, all bark and no bite. "I won't talk to you for an entire year."   
  
Reaching over across the table, Sylvain touches one hand and smiles up at Dimitri with something that might actually be a little more honest. "No, you won't."  
  
Commendably, Dimitri keeps his mouth screwed up in a frown for a whole ten seconds before he gives in. "No, I won't." They both know that, so long as Dimitri is stable and healthy, he won't do what he did a few years ago. They know he won't disappear off the face of the earth for any of his friends, and put them all through that again. He wouldn't even dream to use it as a threat.   
  
Sylvain gives a brief squeeze of his fingers before he pulls back, laughing. "Anyway, we share too many friends! I'd love to see you try, honestly. Can you imagine attending Ingrid's next birthday party while avoiding me at the same time?"   
  
That's around when the server drops by, and Sylvain pauses in his teasing to grin up at her and give a quick drink order. It's not a hugely fancy place they're meeting for lunch at. Just a local-run grill joint, enough to fit in a couple dozen people and have that be _more_ than cozy enough. Most importantly, Dimitri has deemed it healthy enough for his diet along with not being too much on most casual lunch hours.   
  
Still... "You know, we should go get lunch together on one of your cheat days," he muses, leaning forward with his arms on the table. "I'd love to treat you at some point."  
  
"I have a perfectly fine job, Sylvain," Dimitri tells him. "I can pay for myself, so it's okay."   
  
"So?" Sylvain grins all the wider. "That doesn't mean I can't spoil you if I want. Awwww, I remember when we were younger, in middle school, and you got so _excited_ whenever I brought you some snack or other from the student store-"   
  
"I- you can't hold things against me from middle school!"   
  
"Felix does." Leaning back, he folds his hands behind his head and winks. "Anyway, next time, seriously. I'm always more than happy to nurture anything that gets you to relax more. Speaking of which..."   
  
Dimitri shakes his head. "Could you at least wait until I have food in front of me to act as a convenient distraction? I ask for so little."   
  
Sometimes, Sylvain thinks Dimitri should ask for a lot more, with how much he's always held himself back. Still, he shrugs. "As you wish, Your Highness," he teases, using the old nickname from their school days. Fortunately, it doesn't take long for the server to return and take both of their orders.   
  
True to form, Dimitri gets a simple tortilla soup along with a house salad, while Sylvain goes for the fish option himself. While everything is being cooked up in the kitchen, they exchange much more idle chatter. Things like how his sessions with the Byleths have been going, Felix's latest video, how it is living next door now to what is perhaps the most perfect romantic relationship that exists in the city at this point.  
  
"I really don't know how I ever thought I could match up to them when it came to Halloween," Dimitri is in the process of saying by the time their food finally arrives. He's long switched out his water for soda at Sylvain's patient nudging. It's a treat the redhead knows his friend really is enjoying, and he'll work off everything come morning anyway; there's no harm to it. "Mercedes baked cookies and brownies herself alongside the usual store bought candy as an alternative. Despite how _cautious_ parents seem to be these days, no one seemed to refuse her whenever I looked down the hall. I'm honestly envious..."   
  
Twirling his fork in his hand, Sylvain laughs. "Of _course_ Mercedes would have people dancing in the palm of her hand in a heartbeat. She's a sweet-looking and kind-hearted pretty lady who works at a church. She's the absolute _personification_ of nonthreatening. You know, to strangers and people who haven't gotten on her blunt side." Sylvain winks, teasing at his own experiences with their friend. "Don't be too hard on yourself for not winning against a Royal Flush when the Goddess was dealing out the cards."   
  
"I think I would like a new dealer," Dimitri snorts.   
  
"Wouldn't we all." Sylvain laughs again, this time a little lower and into his hand. "But if we're talking jealousy, then I'm the one who should really be jealous. I bet you and Ingrid got a whole platter of cookies at the very start of the night before those kids were anywhere near your floor, right? It's been way too long since I've gotten to have some of her baking, or Dedue's cooking..."   
  
"I'm fairly certain you had _all_ of those things when you were helping them move into their new apartment."   
  
"And that was what, a month, two months ago?" Sylvain shakes his head in mock despair. "You just don't get it, Dimitri. You live next door to them. How many times have you ended up having dinner at their place?"   
  
"...Four."   
  
"Lucky." Slicing through his fish, Sylvain quirks up an eyebrow at Dimitri. "But I'll spare you any further bullying on this, and get to the _real_ subject of conversation: your first date with Claude. At least, that's where we can start."   
  
Honestly, he wants to know about every little thing that's gone on between Dimitri and his coffee-making beau. Whatever the first date involved, it obviously made a decent impression of some sort, if they attended a protest together. (Which, can he just say? He has _so_ many questions on that alone.)   
  
"So, come on, tell me everything. Where did you take him? Please tell me it wasn't something like taking him to one of those courses where you learn to forage for edible plants and make a meal out of them."   
  
Wrong choice of example. With his spoon swirling lazily around in his soup, Dimitri shifts forward with clear interest. "There are classes like that?"  
  
Sometimes, Sylvain really worries for all his friends- although, in cases like this, the worry is pretty shallow, and easily swallowed up by amusement and heart aching fondness. Ingrid has won eating contests and never grew out of her horse girl phase from middle school. Felix is probably on some sort of watch list with the amount of swords he keeps in his apartment, which Sylvain never thought was legal but apparently _is_. And then there's Dimitri.... sitting here in front of him, genuinely asking about foraging classes as though he's genuinely considering fucking off into the wilderness to eat dandelions for the rest of his life.   
  
And to think that all their families spent so much time trying to mold them into the perfect students, the perfect adults. Sylvain reflects on this, and can't help the embers of vindictive pleasure that burn.   
  
Still, he should probably keep Dimitri from sitting in a forest eating grass straight from the ground, so Sylvain snaps his fingers between the two of them. "Focus, Dimitri. Your first date with Claude! I have to know everything. Or, barring that, at least tell me where you went. I can imagine things from there."   
  
"You know, I _worry_ about where your imagination could go..." Dimitri busies himself with another spoonful of soup, a faint blush gathering along his cheeks. Yet Sylvain doesn't think it's a bad one... Not with the soft and distant way Dimitri stares down at the tabletop. He patiently waits until an answer is finally murmured out. "We went to the zoo together."   
  
Sylvain blinks, and takes in what he knows of Attractive Mystery Barista Claude. That's mostly two things, even without the fact that he absolutely went digging through his social media feed once Felix had tagged him in his post. The first is that Claude is clearly curious and a risk taker. Sylvain wasn't lying when he said he was expecting both of them to be turned down; he'd had a whole spiel prepared and everything to go comfort Dimitri after like a week had passed. (He knows Dimitri would have been beating himself up for at least that long, after all.) Yet that Claude had not only decided to actually accept the interest in him, but that he'd gone for the awkward mess that is one of Sylvain's dearest friends? Well.... There are only so many conclusions one can draw from that course of action.   
  
The second is that any guy who regularly goes to protests- something some social media diving had definitely confirmed- is pretty active to some degree. That's doubly true for the kind of guy who goes to protests and blasts an instrument the entire time, which requires an admirable amount of lung space besides just the stamina for running around and hauling instruments.  
  
So they have a guy who's curious enough to want to learn more about things that catch his attention, the energy and stamina to keep up with it, and a boring job full of repetition where he mostly just stands around. Sylvain wonders if Dimitri had picked up, consciously or subconsciously, that something like walking around a zoo with all its exhibits would appeal to that kind of person the best. Still, he can't help teasing him, grinning when he says, "So who helped you pick out such a fun date spot?"   
  
Dimitri blushes and doesn't deny it. He just mutters into his soup, "I went to Ashe and Annette for help."   
  
Ha. Sylvain smiles. "Honestly, if you refused to come to me, you couldn't have picked a better pair. Well, now you _have_ to tell me every little detail. I mean..." He winks. "You're head over heels for him, aren't you?"   
  
Yeah, he is. It's in the soft delight in his eye, the way his mouth curves so fondly just remember the date at all, how his thumbs rub along his spoon in his telltale quirk that something is on his mind. It's a good look on him, one that he hasn't worn for so many years now. Sylvain remembers being more than a little infatuated with it himself when they were younger, when their lives were a little neater.   
  
So he doesn't even try to stop Dimitri as his friend begins to tell the whole story, clumsy and a little disorganized and utterly in love. All he does is, occasionally, steer him back on track when Dimitri doesn't _quite_ answer a question or wanders off just a little too much in his story telling. After more than a few years, Sylvain has adjusted so that he can mostly tell _sort of_ what Dimitri means to say when he doesn't outright say it, but even he has his limits.   
  
The good news is that, because of this, Dimitri doesn't skimp on details the more caught up he gets in telling Sylvain about that day. Sylvain doesn't doubt he has it completely memorized, written thrice over now probably: in his phone for notes, and notes that would get written into his journal, and then finally notes written on his computer. No one can say that Dimitri isn't diligent in his therapy homework, to an extent that Sylvain doubts the Byleths could have foreseen. Sylvain takes in every detail, every bit Dimitri pays special attention to, and finds himself smiling along with complete sincerity.  
  
If he's honest- a rare thing, he knows, he knows- then Sylvain would have to admit that he was a little bit worried about all of this. Dimitri has always been sort of... fragile, ever since they were kids and he lost his parents. Ever since the world thought it fair to try and shove so much onto a kid- even without all of Dimitri's personal issues, but a _kid_.   
  
Dimitri tries to act as though it's not a big deal, of course. That's simply how he is, always trying to live up to the expectations other people have for him and that they often convinced him were his own expectations from the start. All that ended up doing was having him hide the things about himself, things he thought were undesirable rather than just _parts_ of him and, well...   
  
It didn't end well. Sylvain had always know that it was _never_ going to end well, but he had no idea how bad it was going to be until him, Ingrid, Felix, and Dedue had all realized that Dimitri hadn't talked to a single one of them in three days.   
  
So, yeah, as much as he'd been _delighted_ that someone had actually taken an interest in Dimitri, a small part of him had always been watching and waiting warily. It's why, even as he'd been wincing at Felix's picture on his account, he'd been relieved to finally have something to follow up on with Claude's name being tagged on it as well. Maybe he never needed to do that kind of snooping, however. Not with how happy Dimitri looks, and all the little details he includes in his story.  
  
Dimitri would only remember such things if they were really precious to him.   
  
By the time Dimitri is done with the whole tale, their plates have been cleared completely, and Sylvain's ordered a lemon cream cheese danish that he'll only eat half of before trying to nudge it in Dimitri's direction. Dimitri, for his part, had refilled his soda at some point, which he enjoys lazily. "So, you have your second date idea finally thought out, right?" Sylvain asks, waiting for their pastry.   
  
Dimitri nods, toying with his straw. "Claude has a friend, a roommate, named Hilda. She came to visit one day- I'm helping with the website she runs for their protest band. At least, that's what I'd like to do. While she was there, she- well, we talked about a lot of things."   
  
The way Dimitri stumbles around whatever _actually_ was discussed is suspicious all on its own, and Sylvain raises his eyebrow with a playful grin.   
  
Dimitri just refuses to look at him, stubbornly forging onwards. "At any rate, I admitted that I was struggling with an idea for our next date, and Hilda offered a suggestion to me. There's apparently an arcade of some sorts in the city; she showed me images of it online. It focuses mostly on rather retro games, I've heard? Pinball machines seem to be the most popular, but there are a lot of other things as well, including more modern equipment. At least, that's what she said. I suppose I'll have to see for myself."   
  
"When's the last time you played video games or arcade games at all?" Sylvain laughs, pastry finally arriving. "I haven't seen you online in Awakening in ages!"   
  
"I get _on_ , just, sometimes I forget, and my hours are strange anyway-" He's gesturing as he says it, just a little too worked up, and Dimitri jolts as his glass goes spilling all over himself. "Ah-!"   
  
"Oh, shit-" Forgetting his own food, Sylvain leans forward so that he can slide over a napkin. "Are you alright, Dimitri?"   
  
Sighing morosely, Dimitri accepts the scant amount of help that Sylvain can give him and begins wiping up both the table along with his own clothing. "I'm fine, that was my own mistake.... Ugh." He plucks at his shirt slightly, shoulders slumping. Sylvain can see the problem clear as day before Dimitri even thinks to say anything. "This sort of stain... There's no way I'll be able to get it out. Not quickly, anyway... and I was going to meet Claude right after this..."   
  
Yeah, Sylvain figured. Dimitri hadn't been wearing his _best_ clothes when Sylvain had first walked in, but they were clearly some of his 'for nice occasions' clothing, and Sylvain hadn't been so egotistical to think a casual later afternoon lunch-dinner sort of thing was cause enough to break those out.   
  
He raps his fingers along the table. "Your apartment is close enough to the Golden Deer, isn't it? So you could _theoretically_ run over, change really quickly, and then just head down the street to see him."   
  
It's just... he can see the way Dimitri is so disappointed and annoyed with himself, how much he'd been looking forward to seeing Claude right after meeting with Sylvain. None of it's been hard to discern; Dimitri wears his heart on his sleeve. That's especially true after helpful therapy sessions.   
  
So he barely pauses after his last words before he offers, "Although if you don't mind, I have a spare shirt that I've been carrying around with me, and you can borrow it if you want."   
  
Dimitri's head snaps up, eye wide. "Really? Would that be all right, Sylvain?"   
  
As if he even has to ask. Sylvain grins widely. "We're friends, aren't we, Dima?" Already, he can see the way Dimitri softens at that old nickname. "Besides, we're roughly the same height and size. What little differences there are shouldn't matter too much. At worst, it might be a little tighter on you than me." And he highly doubts that's going to be a problem, considering Claude seems to have the right kind of taste to appreciate a tight shirt on Dimitri.   
  
Among other things.  
  
"I'm truly thankful, Sylvain," Dimitri says as the shirt in question is fetched from Sylvain's bag, still folded up and in plastic. "I'll make it up to you, alright?"   
  
Picking up his bag and Dimitri's- they might not be leaving the restaurant but he's not just ditching them unattended at their table- Sylvain claps his hand to Dimitri's shoulder. "Hey, just being taken off the Banned List is good enough for me!" he laughs. "Come on, let's get you changed as soon as possible. There's no point in waiting while soda sticks to your abs."   
  
The restrooms for the grill aren't huge, but they're good enough for a pair of guys to slide inside away from the crowds. Dimitri has at least a little privacy, peeling his shirt off of himself. While it would probably increase the business to have a tall, blond, handsome guy taking off his clothes in the dining area, well.... Dimitri is the proper sort. Even now, he folds his shirt as neatly as he can. It's not saying much, but he _does_ give it his best shot, and grimaces when his hand passes over the wet spot. "Soda doesn't stain, does it?"   
  
"No idea," Sylvain answers, folding his fingers behind his head again. He'd lean against the wall or the sink but, well. It's a public restroom. He'll do what he has to in them, but also, he's _seen_ what's happened in them. Ashe has told them horror stories. Sylvain will stand on his own. "I imagine you can probably google it when you get home- or, hey, I have no plans after this." He winks. "I can take care of it since you want to head to your date right after."   
  
Carefully sliding the new shirt from its bag, Dimitri shakes his head. "You're doing far too much for me, Sylvain."   
  
"I'm _really_ not." He chuckles. "You can even think of it as my apology to you. Even if my intentions were good, the actions were still crud, right? So let me take care of this one tiny thing, Dimitri."   
  
"If you're really sure..." It really does take haggling to make Dimitri accept help, sometimes, although at least this is better than how he could get when they were younger. Sylvain takes it, watching as Dimitri begins to work the sweater over his head. Yet there's a brief problem, when his head pops up... not where it should be. Dimitri gives a couple of befuddled blinks.. "Sylvain, what..."   
  
Sylvain is pretty sure he's going to choke on his own laughter but, before that happens, he at least manages to walk over to Dimitri. "Okay, no, hold on, you got the wrong hole-"   
  
"Why does a sweater have _two_ holes-"  
  
"You'll see, you'll see~. Just- yeah, that's right, pull your head back in, up this way-" With Dimitri now wearing the sweater properly, Sylvain tugs his shirt down a little while Dimitri works on sliding his hair out. "And, technically, it has _five_ holes, Dimitri."   
  
Dimitri, as it turns out, isn't particularly interested in debating semantics with him. Instead, he's rather more preoccupied with looking down at his chest absolutely _bamboozled_ \- the only word that can really describe his expression. Unable to believe his own eyes, he turns to look into the bathroom mirror and experimentally reaches up to thumb at the hole that is indeed right at his chest. "Sylvain," he says, with that careful deliberate tone which has always signaled Sylvain getting in trouble. "What exactly am I _wearing_?"   
  
"It's called a keyhole sweater," Sylvain answers honestly, because he'll lie to a lot of people, but he'd never lie to Dimitri. Especially not for questions like those. It's a funny enough situation without it. "Haven't you see this sort of thing on the internet?"   
  
" _No_?"   
  
Sometimes, he really does wonder how Dimitri manages to miss all the hot trends or porn sites. It doesn't seem a conscious effort so much as a natural talent. "It's a trend that got really popular a while back," he explains before pausing. "Frankly, it's still kind of popular, just, you know, in certain circles." The hentai ones. "Normally girls wear them, but I figured, hey...." He presses his hands against his own chest and grins broadly. "I figured that I have a good enough body to pull it off. That means you _absolutely_ have the body for it."   
  
Dimitri sweeps his hair back with a frazzled swing of his hand. "Sylvain, my chest is exposed!"   
  
"Trust me, I noticed." Sylvain winks, playing it up. "Come on, you strip down to only a towel when we go to the gym, right? This is honestly way more modest by comparison."   
  
"There's _context_ for that, Sylvain, honestly." Helplessly, Dimitri tugs at the bottom of the opening as if he can somehow close it. Predictably, it doesn't work. "I can't wear this on my date with Claude!"   
  
Sylvain quirks up an eyebrow. "Why not?" When all he gets is a blank stare from Dimitri, Sylvain laughs a little bit. "I mean, you've already done lots of other casual stuff with him, right? Outside of the date. You mentioned watching a movie with him, and you've clearly visited his workplace regularly enough, and there was taking him to the gym... You don't have to dress so _stiffly_. And you said it was an arcade, right? That's the absolute _epitome_ of a fun, casual, silly date night." He flicks his finger against one pec, although at least he keeps it to a part that's clothed. "You won't look out of place. No one will look twice at you, besides the usual reasons. And listen, I'll go one further- film Claude's reaction."   
  
"What?"  
  
"I mean, you're worried about how he'll feel more than anything, right?" Sylvain continues. "If he reacts negatively in _any_ way, that we both agree is bad, then I'll make it up to you completely. I'll apologize in person to him, and I'll shred the shirt." He spreads his fingers out. "That's how serious I am in that I really don't think it's going to go as badly as you think."   
  
If there's anything that gets to Dimitri, it's having someone just being upfront and sincere. They've all dealt with a lot of shit in their lives; sometimes it's amazing how rare real honesty can be. So they all appreciate it, to no small degree, but Dimitri especially.   
  
So he pauses at that, hand at his chest, before he slowly eases up. "...You don't have to destroy it. You bought it, Sylvain, I wouldn't waste your money like that." Slowly, he turns to the mirror and finally lowers his hand with some trepidation. "...I have a lot of questions about this, you know."   
  
"Aim and shoot, Your Highness."   
  
"I'm not sure if I want any of the answers."   
  
Alright, _that_ startles laughter out of him before he can do anything to stop it, and Sylvain quickly has to muffle himself. Restrooms _echo_. "Come on, now. That just makes me worried about what you're _actually_ thinking and imagining. I'm not doing anything terrible with that shirt, you know!"   
  
Dimitri's flat stare says he doesn't believe him before he says even a single word. "Why did you have this ready in your bag, Sylvain?"  
  
Thumping his own chest a little bit, Sylvain grins. "What, a man can't have a virgin killing sweatshirt-"   
  
"A _what_."   
  
"-just in case of sexual or romantic emergencies?" He draws his hands behind his head again and chuckles. "I know this may surprise you, with your delicate sensibilities, but there _are_ people, no matter the gender, who like seeing that kind of thing on a nice muscular chest, right? It doesn't hurt to have on hand, in case I need to impress anyone."   
  
For a long moment, Dimitri just stares at him with his lips thin and his eye narrowed in disbelief. Eventually, he asks, "Is this something to do with Felix?"  
  
...Huh. Sylvain blinks, momentarily caught off guard. "You picked up on that?" He asks, realizing that there's no point in trying to lie or sidestep his way out of this one. Still, he hadn't realized that Dimitri of all people really was keeping track of him like that.   
  
"We're friends, of course I did," Dimitri answers, shaking his head. "Honestly, I meant to ask about how you two were doing, after Felix got annoyed at you and then texted you immediately after, but we got caught up talking about my own relationship..."   
  
"You were actually worried about that, huh?" he says, mouth quirking in a smile even he's not entirely sure about. Or, rather, he's not sure if it's showing what he wants it to show. "Well, don't worry, he forgave me for fucking around in a heartbeat so we could talk more about our favorite cryptid therapists." Sylvain shakes his head. "And, anyway, well, maybe. But, look... A guy like Felix requires a lot of finesse. And sometimes that finesse comes in the form of a cute and slutty turtleneck that shows off the chest."  
  
"Why can't you ask him out like a person is supposed to do?" Turning away from the mirror, Dimitri crosses his arms in exasperation. "I'm fairly certain the rules on dating haven't changed much in that regard, which I can confidently say now that _I'm_ currently dating someone."   
  
This sweet summer child. Sylvain wasn't prepared to talk about his own romance life, and how that's floundering, so he needs a second to give an answer here. Eventually, he decides nothing is better than putting his friend in the same situation _he's_ in. "Try and imagine being in my shoes," he says. "How do you think Felix would honestly react to someone asking him out on a date?"  
  
Dimitri's pause says all it really needs to. Still, bless his heart, he tries for an answer anyway. "If it was said _sincerely_ , then.... Even Felix would be willing to try at least one date, wouldn't he...?"  
  
"I mean, alternatively, he might think the person asking him on the date is just jerking him around," Sylvain counters with a relaxed shrug. "Hell, he might even be ace and have zero interest in romance. Can you ever remember him dating anyone in high school?"  
  
"No, because everyone thought he was interested in _you_ and so didn't bother."   
  
Sylvain's brain stutters for a half second. "Huh," he says after another half second. "Really, now? In that case, getting him to _admit_ any attraction on his part is still going to require a lot of finesse."   
  
" _Sylvain_." Oh Goddess, it's the lecture tone. Dimitri removes his arms from his chest in order to perch his hands on his hips instead. "Putting on a sexual shirt can't rightly be called _finesse_. How about this- I will take your proposed deal, to film Claude's reaction to me wearing this. _But_." He raises one finger. "If he reacts negatively, I won't ask you to destroy the shirt. I won't even ask you to apologize to Claude. _That_ is something that I will take proper responsibility for on my own, since I am the one agreeing to wear it. However, if he doesn't react well, then _you_ should take that as a sign this is a foolish plan, and simply ask Felix outright. Deal?"  
  
"I'd ask when you got so pushy, but you've always sort of been this way, huh?" Sylvain asks, using his words to hesitate at least a moment before he nods and holds out his hand. "Then, hey, deal. I know I'm not going to lose."  
  
Dimitri shakes his hand, sturdy and tight like always, and then they tuck the stained shirt into the bag so that Sylvain can take care of it later. Fortunately, when they return to their table, nothing's been moved, and Sylvain quietly makes a note to give the servers an extra tip for paying attention even though there was no indication left behind that they'd be coming back. Dimitri really seems to be struggling, as they sit down, to not keep messing with his shirt. After a minute of working through some of his danish, Sylvain points out, "You know, no one really glanced at you when we made our way over to our table, right? I'm serious, it's not that big a deal."   
  
"We passed by only a few," Dimitri protests, keeping his voice low, "and they were all wrapped up in their own conversations besides. Does that really _count_?"  
  
Chuckling, Sylvain finishes off the small portion he'd sectioned off for himself and nudges the danish over to Dimitri. So worked up, Dimitri doesn't even think to protest and just starts nibbling on it. When he gets like this, Sylvain knows he likes to have something to occupy his mouth.   
  
"Yeah, well, that's how most of life works. People are usually too caught up in themselves to really care about anyone else's business unless it's _really_ gaudy. And a simple black keyhole turtleneck? Well, it might catch a few eyes, I won't lie, but you'll be gone out of their lives so quickly that I doubt you'll get anything but a double take."   
  
"That's still far too much than I'm comfortable with...." Dimitri sighs, shoulders slumping, and takes another bite of his danish. "...but something I suppose I'm used to. So maybe... It _won't_ be completely terrible..." He doesn't sound entirely convinced. That's alright. Sylvain is glad to just get those words out of him. The first step to bullshitting is to say something. Working on if you or anyone else believes it can come afterwards.   
  
While Sylvain was honest in that he thinks not too many people at their tables are glancing at Dimitri's change in clothing, the employees of the restaurant are another matter entirely when the two of them get up to pay. Funnily enough, if Dimitri _had_ let Sylvain pay for everything, they could be done in a heartbeat. Instead, with their bill split, they have to go one after the other while the cashier rings them up... and does their very best not to look _too much_ at the exposed cleavage of Dimitri's chest. Dimitri, in turn, tries not to make eye contact with anyone and bites his lip so that he doesn't fall into the absent-minded and worried glower he so often has a bad habit towards.   
  
Sylvain just does his best to keep from laughing at the whole thing.   
  
"You know, I think they would have hit on you, if they could have gotten the courage up for it," Sylvain says as they exit the restaurant and begin to head down the street. "Trust me, I can tell when a person is appreciating someone else's body, and that's the kind of look _you_ get aaaaall the time when we work out at the gym."  
  
"Please stop teasing me, Sylvain," Dimitri sighs, still somehow oblivious to just how damn hot he is. "I don't know how I'm going to survive making it to the Golden Deer."   
  
Sylvain claps him on the shoulder, grinning. "Well, I'm sure you'll find a way. At any rate, this is where we split, so I'll see you later, right? Be sure to tell me all about how this second date goes, sweater or no."   
  
Before he can pull his hand back, Dimitri's fingers fold over his, and he blinks a couple of times into that one brilliant blue eye. "I really do want you and Felix to be happy, you know," Dimitri says, so quiet and sincere. "You've both been my closest friends for so long, to the point that I don't know where I would be if I lacked either of you. So I just... want the two of you to find happiness. I don't want things to get mixed up between you, or our friendships to fray. So... I really do wish you the best of luck with him, whoever wins this ridiculous little bet between us. Alright?"   
  
Sometimes, Dimitri gets like this, and Sylvain's heart twists a little bit. It's twisting right now, all fondness and a wish he could keep away every fucked up thing that happens in the world and that all of them have way too much experience with. He has to remind himself that he's not like some medieval retainer for a lord, that him and Dimitri are their own people living their own adult lives... but jeez, the things he'd do for this guy.   
  
Right now, all he can do is smile back and squeeze Dimitri's hand. "You're too nice, Dima. But just focus on _your_ romantic life, alright? I know what I'm doing, right?" He winks playfully. "I mean, I was the guy who was supposed to give you advice for yours!"   
  
That little fact makes Dimitri pause, blinking a few times. "Oh, yes. I suppose you were. You know, I don't believe we ever got to that part..."   
  
"Well, here's my well sought after advice that you've been so ungratefully ignoring all this time." Reaching over, he curls his fingers around the back of Dimitri's head and tugs him in for a soft headbutt. All the while, he grins. "You're doing great, Dima. So just keep doing what you're doing, and I'll always be here if you need any more date ideas or aren't sure about something happening in the relationship. Alright?"   
  
Just using nicknames is enough to make Dimitri melt, most of the time. Hearing this only makes him soften all the more, and he so gently bumps his head back against Sylvain's. "You're a fantastic friend, Sylvain."   
  
"You can always say it a few dozen more times so that everyone else knows it," Sylvain teases, although he's half honest and hoping Dimitri doesn't realize. Pulling away, he playfully shoves Dimitri along. "Now get going. You were the one looking forward to your date so much!"  
  
When Dimitri is gone, disappearing into the subway system to head back to his place, Sylvain takes a moment to just... be, walking with no particular hurry with his hands behind his head. Honestly, he's pretty sure that Dimitri's idea of things definitely isn't going to work on a guy like Felix... but, then again, Dimitri had seen right through them in a truly unexpected move, and he'd even apparently been aware enough of things to notice high school gossip. Dimitri "what do you mean a swiss army knife with a butterfly on it isn't an appropriate gift" Blaiddyd of all people. Sylvain's world is well and truly rocked.   
  
Or maybe it was never that his attention towards other people had been particularly good, and only that he cared especially for matters where it concerned Sylvain, or Felix, or anyone else in their circle. But if he starts thinking like that, Sylvain knows he'll start getting all sorts of feelings that he thought. Stuff he thought he'd put to rest way back in high school. That's a bad idea for any number of reasons, first and foremost that he really should be focusing on his _current_ and almost _legitimate_ romance quandaries first and foremost.   
  
Quietly, Sylvain lets out a whistle into the cool autumn air.   
  
He's really got to stop getting crushes on his friends.   
  
  
  
  
  
Despite knowing what he agreed to, Dimitri still takes a moment lingering outside of the Golden Deer and fiddles with his phone. He can't stay out there for longer than a minute, he knows, he _knows_. He simply... needs to work up his nerve. Despite what Sylvain had said, at least a few people had stared at Dimitri's attire while he'd ridden the subway back towards his part of town. This is a terrible idea. He knows it is. But he can't go back on a deal made. That would just be... Well, he's no liar.   
  
Anxiously, he glances through the Golden Deer's windows. It's heading towards the end of Claude's shift, and just before the end of anyone else's for a general workday, so there's not too much of a rush yet. There's just one person tucked away cozily in a corner, along with a mother and her child sitting near the pick up counter talking. Dimitri doesn't recognize the person Claude is working with tonight, only that he's a bit shorter and his green hair stands out in contrast to the colors of the shop. Claude himself is chatting with the customers, getting some sort of drink from behind the counter. That's.... probably as good as empty he's going to be able to ask for, isn't it? Dimitri takes a breath and readies the camera on his phone.   
  
Alright. This is fine. Or, if it isn't, it will not be the end of the world. Dimitri tries to remind himself of that, a lesson from lots of therapy that he's done his best to internalize.  
  
Either way, the best thing is to act natural. Dimitri double checks to make sure he's not glaring, takes a breath, and finally steps into the Golden Deer. "I hope I'm not too early, Claude."   
  
"Dimitri! Not at all, I'm just-" Claude looks up, smiling, and spots him.... and immediately drops the paper cup in his hand right onto his _foot_. An electrical shock seems to go right through him, now vacant hand curling into a tight fist while his eyes go wide. A sharp muffled noise slips out between suddenly clenched teeth. "Ffffssssssssssh-!!!"  
  
"CLAUDE!" It's not only Dimitri calling out the name, but the coworker too, and they both hurry over to him. All Dimitri can do is go to the front counter, leaning over it to assess the damage. On the staff side of things, the coworker immediate grabs some paper towels. Kneeling down by Claude's leg, he starts dabbing at the mess on his pants leg.   
  
Claude himself, well, he just lowers his hand down to smack the counter a couple times while he bows his head in a clear effort to ride out the pain. Eventually, he lowers himself into a crouch and recovers. "Hey, Ignatz, sorry about that-"   
  
"Are you sure you're alright?" Ignatz fusses. "Do you need to go in the back?"  
  
"Ha ha, well, it'll take a little more than some hot chocolate to keep me down!" Claude finally raises his head to look over to the mother, who's come over to fuss from the other side of the counter, and waves her off. "Sorry, sorry! I'll get you and Lucina there your hot chocolate in a second! This one just slipped."   
  
Leaning as far as he can make it, Dimitri nods his agreement. "Listen to him, Claude. You never know just how bad spills like this can be. Do you need help?"   
  
Claude finally looks up at him again, only to immediately close his eyes. "Oh boy," he says quietly to himself, just barely audible, before he laughs. "I guess I can't argue against two people teaming up on me. Well, if you're going to be so pushy, want to come into the back and help me out, Dimitri?"   
  
"Oh, is that..." He glances over to Ignatz for confirmation. "Is that really all right? I'm not an employee."   
  
"It's fine," Ignatz assures with a quick nod and a smile as he begins to hand over the paper towels to Claude. "This is to help with a spill, too, and you do know Claude... So I don't think it's a problem so long as it doesn't become a habit."  
  
Well, if it's fine... Trying not to make eye contact with the mother and her child- he can only handle so much at a time- Dimitri goes around until he's able to slip through the small swinging door which separates the staff space from the public. "You're really all right, Claude?" he asks, coming around to him and offering one hand. He feels a bit like he's taking up too much space behind the counter.... But Ignatz seems rather used to the squeezed conditions, hardly looking up at all as he starts to clean the rest of the spill.   
  
Claude grins at him, taking his hand and hauling himself up. Enough time has passed that he doesn't look particularly bothered by the spill on his leg. "Oh, it's fine. On the bright side, I was going to change out of these clothes anyway after work, so this just speeds things up, huh?"   
  
"I'd rather it not have happened like that." Dimitri shakes his head, but then they're through the doors into the staff area. He's never been in the back rooms of a coffee shop... and there's really not much to it.   
  
A whiteboard takes up a large chunk of wall space, detailing the shifts of various people with only a small handful being names that Dimitri knows, and there are various supply boxes stacked up along a shelving unit. A door labeled the manager's office is squeezed into one side, and there seems to be a cubby hole unit of some sort for the various workers to use. Even from a distance, Dimitri can see that one is labeled 'CLAUDE' in sweeping orange letters. What's really important is that there's a small plastic table set out of the way in what's apparently a break room, complete with a miniature fridge, and it's there that Dimitri takes Claude.   
  
Everything is neatly arranged and kept clean here, labeled appropriately for what Dimitri can only assume is the benefit of new employees. He may not be a new hire, but he appreciates the care regardless. It makes it easy to ferret out a first aid kit, taken from a cabinet, although Claude chuckles a little bit when he sees him do it.   
  
"It's just a little spill, you know. Honestly, nothing even hurts anymore. You'd be amazed at how fast chocolate cools."   
  
"That's no reason to be careless," Dimitri chides, running some cool water over another paper towel that he's folded up. Just enough to get it a little damp, not sopping. "Now, roll up your pants leg, and we'll see how it really is."  
  
Claude's right, in the end. It's not a severe burn, which Dimitri is relieved to find out. He's heard of some restaurants and cafes that demand their employees to keep hot drinks at absolutely scorching levels... but apparently either the Golden Deer has enough sense to avoid such risky behavior, or its employees don't see any reason to go along with such foolishness. It makes him feel better, although he still cleans up Claude's leg. Slowly gliding the wet paper towel along his calf, Dimitri glances up from his kneeling position. "How is this?"   
  
So wrapped up in making sure Claude was alright, he hadn't noticed the bout of silence between them. He certainly notices now, with the way Claude jolts a little bit out of his own thoughts from where he'd been staring down at Dimitri. "Hm? Oh, it's fine. I feel better already, honestly."   
  
"...I see. That's good, then." Crumpling up the paper towel along with the others, Dimitri deposits them all in the trash can. "Are you going to go back to work like that?"   
  
When he looks back, Claude is swinging his leg from side to side so that he can see just how it feels. He's done his best to clean up his pants, but there's no denying the stain that's there. "Hmmm... Honestly, yeah. I mean, it won't be too bad, I'm at the very end of my day. All I have to do is make sure to take care of any last minute customers, and then clean up for Ignatz. That will take, what... maybe ten minutes?" Having apparently come to terms with his pants situation, Claude gets up and dusts them off with a grin. "Want to wait here while I finish up?"   
  
"Can I?"   
  
"I mean, you're already back here anyway." Claude chuckles. "And it will work out for us too. People are more likely to walk in at the last minute if they see other supposed customers waiting around. I guess the thought process is 'hey, if they're already busy, then one more can't hurt', no matter if that's true or not. I mean, there are always people who will walk in anyway.... even when we're obviously closed. But I can't do anything about that."   
  
"If it will make things easier for you... I'll wait here. Thank you."   
  
Claude winks at him. "Then I'll see you in roughly fifteen minutes."  
  
Waiting in the staff area of a place he doesn't work at feels... odd. Dimitri can't even remember the last time he was in the staff area of any sort of restaurant, now that he thinks about it. Even when Ingrid briefly took up work at a barbeque place herself, he politely waited for her either outside or in the waiting area. The same with Ashe.   
  
For this, he's not sure what to really do. He puts away the first aid kit, because that's polite, and finally remembers that he's left his camera phone running in his pocket this entire incident. The latter at least takes up a good chunk of time as he frantically makes it stop recording, and then does his best to look up if there's a way to edit a video of nothing but lots of dead air and fussing. (The answer is 'yes' and he couldn't be more relieved.)   
  
But after that... After that, it's nothing but awkwardly sitting in a chair, flicking through the internet on his phone. He's in the middle of wondering if he should actually pick up one of those gacha games that Mercedes seems to like so much when Claude finally ducks back in to grab his bag out of his cubby hole. "Almost done!" he promises Dimitri. "Just give me half a second!" With that, he ducks into the staff restroom.  
  
Ignatz trails after him shortly after, and gives that same reserved smile in Dimitri's direction. "We're almost done. I don't believe we properly got introduced, although Leonie and Claude have told me about you. My name is Ignatz Victor."   
  
Oh thank goodness, some social protocol he can follow instead of just sitting awkwardly in a room. Rising to his feet, Dimitri offers his hand. "I'm Dimitri Blaiddyd. I'm surprised Leonie mentioned me, really." He's polite to her, and she to him, but he hadn't thought they really knew one another.   
  
Ignatz returns the handshake well enough, still smiling up at him although now he seems a little embarrassed. Dimitri can't understand why, even with his next sentence. "Well, she mentioned how the two of you go to the same gym, apparently? That was mostly what she talked about, when she wasn't saying that you and Claude were going out together."  
  
That's right, that is how they primarily know each other, isn't it? Along with him listening in on ridiculous stories from her and Claude's past, he supposes. Dimitri smiles a little. "Yes, I've seen her there occasionally, but it's usually nothing more than a simple 'hello'. Our schedules tend to be rather different."   
  
"She mentioned that too." Searching for more paper towels for the front, Ignatz continues to carry a sense of... hesitation, Dimitri supposes. "Can I ask what you do for work?"  
  
"Oh, no, it's fine. I work from home, helping manage my family's business by telecommuting."   
  
"I see... I wouldn't have guessed that. It's good to have a job like that, isn't it?"  
  
Dimitri doesn't ask why Ignatz is surprised, because he looks in the mirror every day and understands perfectly well that he doesn't look like the kind of person who works at his desk at home. Instead, he just nods his head and smiles.   
  
"Flexibility is an envious thing to have. For a lot of other things I have to deal with, it's better that I have this kind of job, so I can count myself fortunate that my father had this kind of connection. I don't know what else I would do otherwise." It's not a job he particularly loves, but it's a job that pays the bills. Dimitri is glad to have that, because he knows that it would be difficult for him otherwise. "What did you think I did?"   
  
"Oh, um..." It occurs to Dimitri belatedly, as Ignatz wavers at the upfront question, that he might have put the other man into an awkward position. If one were to look at a muscular man with an eyepatch and try to guess at his occupation, well.... He supposes it would only be logical, really, that one might think of something unpleasant. It's just rude to outright _say_ that. Ignatz seems nice, he shouldn't have sprung that on him. Dimitri is about to hastily take back his words when Ignatz continues, scratching the back of his neck. "I was actually wondering because, well... I thought you might be a model of some sort, honestly."   
  
"A model...?" Blinking, it takes a second to remember what he's wearing, and he stares down at his shirt in complete confusion. "Are they actually wearing these sort of things in magazines...?" Is that really something that happens? Then again, when's the last time he even looked through a magazine? Dimitri can almost literally feel his mind stuttering as it tries to imagine this.   
  
Fortunately, he's saved as Ignatz hastily raises up his hands as if he can physically stop Dimitri's train of thought. "Oh, no, I didn't mean like a fashion model! Rather, I was thinking something more along the lines of an art model, you see."   
  
...Alright, he definitely wasn't expecting the conversation to go in that direction. Dimitri stares a moment, trying to imagine _that_ insteaed. "It's... not a path I had ever considered. What was it about me that brought that to mind...?"  
  
He's pretty sure he's not being casual or interested enough, or not showing it anyway, because Ignatz still seems embarrassed as he rubs the back of his neck. "Well, I just thought... It's a job which focuses on how to draw many different kinds of people, you know. It's important to getting a vital understanding of putting the body to canvas, and realizing how it works or comes together. You have a really unique appearance- in a good way, I mean to say. And, well..."   
  
"You're built like someone already carved you out of marble and begged a Greek god to bring you to life," Claude says as he exits the restroom, grinning and newly clothed.  
  
Ignatz's flush is _impressive_ in how quickly it spreads across his face, ear to ear. "Claude!"   
  
The casual way Claude claps his hand onto Ignatz's shoulder says he regrets nothing, as per usual. "What? It's what you were thinking upon seeing that glorious chest, right?" His eyes dance as they focus back on Dimitri, who's suddenly blushing himself. "Not that I can blame him. I bet he hasn't told you that he does art in his spare time, huh, Dimitri?"   
  
On one hand, Dimitri thinks he might die if they continue on with this line of conversation. Then again, it's him or Ignatz, and unfortunately it doesn't seem like they're both going to get out of this so long as Claude is involved. "No, he didn't, actually."   
  
Ignatz is more red than pink now. "It's only a hobby right now, there wasn't an ulterior motive! I mean, it _would_ be interesting to have someone similar but different to Raphael to practice, but that's not why I was asking, it was merely pure curiosity, and-"   
  
"And most art models do so nude, don't they?" Claude asks slyly and, oh, Dimitri's blush is starting to match Ignatz's now. "Well, after seeing that chest, I can't blame you, Ignatz. Honestly, Dimitri, if you started doing modeling, I might actually have to find some free time in my schedule to take up drawing myself..."   
  
" _Claude_." Even while completely red, Ignatz manages to hiss out the single name. "I think I hear Leonie arriving, so I should be fine now that she's here."  
  
It's with that bit of rushing that they're out the door, and Claude starts to laugh. "He was in the band when we played last time, remember?" he asks, still grinning as the two of them walk down the street.   
  
Now that Dimitri thinks about it, perhaps that particular shade of green _is_ familiar. His attention had just been focused on the people he already knew. "I see... I suppose I'll be seeing a lot of him, then." Looking down at his shirt - the culprit for this entire conversation - Dimitri sighs. "Actually- can we make a quick stop back at my apartment, Claude?"   
  
"Hm? Oh, yeah, sure. Forget something?"   
  
"It's not so much that I've forgotten something, but..." Resisting the urge to tug on it, he gestures to the shirt instead. "I'd really rather change out of this. I just feel- _silly_ walking around with it on, and getting comments about it."  
  
A disappointed noise leaves Claude immediately as he looks up at him. "You're not wearing that for the rest of our date?" he asks, _genuine_ disappointment lacing his tone. "It really is pretty daring for you... But I thought you picked it out just for this! It looks so _good_ on you!"   
  
That's- kind of a surprise to hear, and not a bad one. Unsure of how to handle it, Dimitri presses a hand to the shirt. "It's actually Sylvain's, if I'm being honest. I had lunch earlier with him today, and something spilled on what I was wearing. He offered to lend me one of his but... I couldn't have imagined it was something like this."   
  
At least the tale earns a chuckle out of Claude, along with a bright smile. "You know, the more you tell me about Sylvain, combined with my one meeting that I've had, and the more I kind of want to get to know him."   
  
"After getting to know you all the better, I think I might actually be worried if the two of you become familiar."   
  
"Oh _ho_. Now that's a ringing endorsement if I ever heard one." Claude laughs a little more. "Well, _I_ think it's amazing on you, and I doubt you would have accepted it at all if our date was going to be at a particularly fancy place, so, theoretically, this should be fine... But if you really can't be comfortable in it, then alright." A dramatic sigh leaves him. "I'll just have to store your attractive visage in my memories..."   
  
Dimitri shakes his head, but all the dramatics has him smiling. "Claude, we're actively _dating_. You see me all the time, so there's no need to store anything anywhere. Still, if that's your reaction, I..." Dimitri cuts himself off. "No, nevermind."   
  
Bumping up against his side, Claude wraps his arms around one of Dimitri's. "Oh, no no no. You can't start off like that and keep me hanging, Dimitri. What were you going to say?"   
  
"It's nothing!" he says, flustered and trying to shrink back into his turtleneck. It doesn't work, predictably. "I just- I need to text Sylvain, actually, hold on."   
  
"Keeping it a secret only makes me more curious, you know~."   
  
"Hush!"  
  
  
  
  
  
⇀ 『VIDEO ATTACHED』  
  
⇀ Here is the result of our bet.   
  
⇀ I believe we can say this round goes to you, considering that he said he liked it after we left the Golden Deer.   
  
↬ AHAHAHAHAHA  
  
↬ I'M LOSING IT   
  
↬ SAYING HE LIKES IT IS A BIT OF AN UNDERSTATEMENT  
  
⇀ Is this really cause for caps lock, Sylvain?   
  
↬ YES  
  
↬ but more srsly, see, i know what i'm talking about   
  
↬ ;) have fun with your date, dima  
  
  
  
  
  
Walking into Dimitri's apartment in the light of day had made it seem airy and roomy, comfortable with all the freedom it gave to people. Stepping into it in the thick of evening gives off an entirely different feeling even before Dimitri flicks on the living room lights. What had once been spacious in all the best ways now looks more cavernous than anything, and it's not an impression that easily goes away even wwith light. Maybe it's something about the artificiality of it, or maybe it's just the contrast of a bright living room with windows that open up into a too dark city where the only other lights are mere pinpricks.   
  
At least there are a couple of things that have changed since his last visit. Tucked away near the selection of old time movies is a glittering but distinctly plastic jack o lantern with its plug coiled around it. The same pair of fuzzy gray wolf ears he remembers seeing in a picture have been tossed onto the back of the couch, where they've presumably been ever since Halloween. And, what's most amusing to Claude-   
  
"I thought you didn't drink soda too much?" he asks, making his way to the little kitchen island. His fingers tap the opened box laying there. It's already mostly empty, with only maybe three cans remaining.   
  
Dimitri is tugging his shirt free of his pants already, walking right towards that mystery hallway on the ground floor, and he glances over at Claude upon his question. "Oh, no, I don't. Sometimes I have energy drinks, but soda is something rather different. They're leftovers from Halloween, you see."   
  
A low whistle flicks out from between Claude's teeth. "Whole cans of soda for trick or treaters! Their parents must have hated you." He flashes a grin over to Dimitri. "Okay, they wouldn't have, if they remember being a kid once. But that's a lot, isn't it?"   
  
"Yes, well..." Shirt untucked, Dimitri sweeps some of his hair back. "I recall, when I was younger... One year, while we were trick or treating, there was a house where an older woman lived, and she gave out cans of soda. I thought that was truly the highlight of my night- me and all my friends. Halloween seems like one of the few times of year when children can let loose, have fun... so I wanted to give that same feeling back into the world." His hand pauses, curling at the back of his neck. "...And maybe I wanted to be the 'cool' apartment to trick or treat at. I have Mercedes to compete with down the hall, you know. I had to stand out."   
  
Alright, that's- " _Adorable_ ," Claude coos, leaning against the island and grinning. "Although if it makes you feel better, I'm pretty sure you definitely stuck out in those kids' minds. No better reputation, right?"  
  
Dimitri smiles back. "I think I can live as the friendly resident werewolf pirate with a stash of free soda for good children, yes." Something about that makes both of them laugh, the emptiness of the apartment beaten back with it. Cheeks rosy with soft pleasure, Dimitri nods his head towards the soda box. "You can have one of them if you like. I don't want to put them to waste, so I've only started working through them... but it would be better if someone who actually regularly enjoys them took a can. I don't plan on taking very long; I have plenty of shirts that I can change into. Honestly, I might just change the whole outfit, since I know some of the soda got into my pants as well."   
  
Don't mind if he does. As he rolls out a can, Claude grins to him. "What, you're not going to invite me into your room?"   
  
He's expecting more teasing right back, or flustered alarm when Dimitri realizes just why Claude would be so interested in coming into his _bedroom_. Instead, Dimitri jolts upright as though he's been shocked. "Oh, no no no no, I-" He realizes just how obviously frantic he is, and tries to rein in his tone. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember to do the same for his rapid retreat. "Please stay out here, Claude."   
  
...His curiosity is absolutely _killing_ him right now, and Claude wonders if Dimitri realizes just how very unfair this all is. How can he hold himself back when he wants to know the reasons behind _that_ reaction so badly?   
  
The answer is 'because he loves the hell out of Dimitri Blaiddyd'- or at least he's feeling happy enough with how their relationship is going so far that he won't just trample all over his boyfriend's right to privacy. So Claude pops the can open and wanders over to Dimitri's movie shelf to see what he recognizes. Besides things like MST3K, which specifically _mock_ various movies, Dimitri seems to favor quite a wide variety of black and white films, most of them various dramas but more than a few comedies as well from what Claude can tell looking at the boxes.   
  
With speed reading, that really only takes, like, a minute or two.... And in that minute or two, there's a sudden crash from deeper within the apartment, and a small shout. Claude is up on his feet in a second, and down the hall in two. "Dimitri!? Are you alright?"   
  
There are three doors in the hallway, plus a small little corner where a washing machine and dryer are stored. A set of cupboard doors are on the opposite wall, but closest to the rest of the apartment. Claude takes only a short moment to figure out where the sound is coming from, opting for the one furthest in. "Hey, Dimitri? I'm coming in, alright?"  
  
He doesn't even get a chance to touch the knob before there's the sound of frantic shuffling, things being kicked, and lots of stumbling around, and the door jerks open. "No I'm fine!" Dimitri says in a breathless rush, bent over, clinging to door and its frame alike so that he can stay upright with his pants around his legs. The keyhole sweater is still on. He seems to realize something, hastily jerking the door mostly shut. "I'm sorry, it was just- I tripped over myself, I didn't mean to concern you! I'm sorry, just- hold on, please, hold. On." And with that, he quickly shuts the door again.   
  
Claude lets him. Just then, he had the perfect chance to get a good glance at Dimitri's room, and it completely slipped him by. Claude can't even say any exact details. All a part of his brain managed to note was a heap of blurry mess behind Dimitri in direct contrast to the minimal decorating of the apartment in general.   
  
Later, he might berate himself. Right now, all he can think of is the fact that Dimitri was still wearing the keyhole turtleneck. All he can think of is that Dimitri's pants were around his knees and beneath his feet.   
  
All Claude can think about is the fact that he now knows whether Dimitri is a boxer or briefs type of guy, and is so _very_ desperately thankful for how tightly briefs hug.   
  
Completely in a daze, he returns to the living room where he finally remembers that he has a drink to work through. He picks that up with one hand. With the other, he gets out his phone.   
  
  
  
  
  
↣ hilda   
  
↣ （ ; ; ）  
  
↣ his dick is huge, hilda   
  
↣ o(；△；)o  
  
↣ i haven't touched it yet, i just got an accidental preview, and that fact is killing me inside  
  
↣ i'm dying here, hilda!!!  
  
↣ (˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )

  
  
  
  
  
  
『ARCHERYOUGLAD has sent you a message!』  
  
↣ ARCHERYOUGLAD: sir i owe you my life  
  
↬ GOTGAUTIER: lol!   
  
↬ GOTGAUTIER: i didn't think the last picture would get such a reaction unless you mean something else entirely  
  
↣ ARCHERYOUGLAD: something else~  
  
↣ ARCHERYOUGLAD: let's just say you lent out a shirt and i am reaping the benefits   
  
↬ GOTGAUTIER: ....wait is this claude???  
  
↣ ARCHERYOUGLAD: (≧∀≦ゞ  
  
↬ GOTGAUTIER: lol holy shit   
  
↬ GOTGAUTIER: well ur welcome (ﾉ･_-)☆  
  
↣ ARCHERYOUGLAD: just a quick thanks as he changes lmaooooo  
  
↬ GOTGAUTIER: omg i can't believe him   
  
↬ GOTGAUTIER: well   
  
↬ GOTGAUTIER: good luck to both of u   
  
↬ GOTGAUTIER: (*⸰‿-)   
  
↣ ARCHERYOUGLAD: (-‿◦)  
  
  
  
  
  
Once they head out into the city, Dimitri almost starts to believe that the night might turn around. He'd almost been thankful, initially, that he had an excuse to go back to his apartment, because that meant he could pick up a jacket in light of the weather, but it turns out he might not need it at all. While the air is still chilly, it's not the chilliest it could get. In fact, it even seems a little warmer than the last couple of nights have been. Just a sweater is enough for him. Granted, it's not enough for _Claude_ , and that would be why Claude has his jacket zipper all the way up and his hoodie bunched up around his ears. Dimitri reassures him that they'll be warm soon enough.   
  
Even the subway doesn't seem as packed as it could be. They don't run into any peculiar instances of people being outrageous, no fights break out, nothing. Dimitri couldn't ask for more on that front, he really couldn't.   
  
Besides, you know. The arcade being open.   
  
Which it isn't.   
  
The paper hastily taped to the front entrance explains the situation plainly enough: the power blew out for the building and the estimated time to get the problem solved is unknown. Even though it's perfectly understandable that this is all just bad luck, it doesn't make Dimitri feel any better as he straightens up from reading it. "I'm sorry, Claude," he tells his date, shifting closer so that he can wrap his arm around the other man. "I should have checked on their web page or twitter or... _something_ before we came all this way. They were doing perfectly well just the other day... I suppose this must have just happened."   
  
Even with only this level of cold, Claude still burrows up against his side. "Mm, stuff like this happens," he says, voice muffled from a combination of his hood and where he's pressed up. "It's not your fault. As long as you just never, ever leave my side and expose me to the cruel elements, I'll survive." He tilts his head just enough to glance up at Dimitri, green eyes all the brighter from how a nearby streetlight catches them. "In this part of town, there's probably somewhere to go, right? Let's wander, see where that takes us. Ideally, to the first place indoors with a working heater."   
  
There are in fact a couple of different places that they pass which seem to be perfectly heated. A couple of them are "artisanal" bars, which they duck into for warmth and to be amused at the strange drink names people come up with. Dimitri doesn't drink alcohol, however, so they never stay for long.   
  
Others are cafes, restaurants, bustling with life on a nice night that others are clearly taking advantage of. There's an art gallery, having an event that seems to be invite only and which neither of them are even remotely dressed for. Various thrift stores, book shops, and even a couple of clubs are all open, but they all feel like rather strange places to take a date.   
  
Dimitri is in the middle of finally just googling things on his phone to see what's nearby when Claude nudges him in the side. "Looks like a lot of things are happening down the street. Want me to guide you while you google? Maybe we'll finally find something worth occupying our night."  
  
Once they're close enough, Dimitri realizes just where they are. "Oh, it's the museums." Dimitri isn't entirely sure of just what events in history lead to it happening, only that a few different museums in the city ended up so close together that they sort of ended up neighbors. A history museum of some sort, an art museum, and a nature museum- at least those are what he knows about. It's the kind of strange little fact about his city that plenty of people know about. He rather likes that it's happened, even if he supposes he doesn't visit them as much as perhaps he ought to. "I thought they closed earlier than this..."   
  
Further inspection shows that the buildings _themselves_ are indeed completely dark, with the doors presumably locked. That hasn't stopped all the nearby parking spaces from being filled up completely, and Dimitri realizes that's because all the activity is coming from the small shared park (or is it an open garden? he never bothered to learn) that connects the various museums. A warm glow radiates out from the park, along with the sound of festive music and distant laughter.   
  
A nearby sign is what tells him exactly what's going on, and Dimitri makes a small noise of understanding. "Oh, of course- it's the Day of the Dead. It looks like the museums teamed up together to help host an event for the community." He pauses, then, before he allows the impulse to carry him through. "Would you like to go?"   
  
Claude had already been glancing over with some vague curiosity, but it was the idle curiosity of someone passing by. The way he looks up at Dimitri is curious, too, but livelier somehow. "Oh? So you have an interest in this sort of holiday? Or is it just that this is the first thing that we've passed by which looks like it could be fun?"  
  
A smile slips onto his face. "You could say... it's a little bit of both."   
  
Laughing, Claude tightens his grip around Dimitri's arm and begins to tug him along to the crosswalk. "Well then, you can tell me more about this interest of yours while we head on over."   
  
There's no entrance fee to the event, which Dimitri supposes is because it would be hard to really stop anyone from sneaking in with how open the park area is. Rather, at the path leading into the park from the public sidewalk, there's a small booth with a variety of things such as brochures, a small map, and a jar for donations.   
  
It's already rather filled up by the time Claude and Dimitri make their way over, and both of them are sure to add in their own donations before they go further in. Dimitri makes sure to grab a brochure before they do; it will be something nice to show to the doctor at his next session.   
  
Everything... is just as bright and lively as Dimitri knew it would be. Various lights are strung up along the path leading into the main areas where various stalls and exhibits are set up, all vibrant and warm. From the beginning of the path, he can already tell without looking at the brochure that the areas are roughly divided into places for exhibits, food, small store stalls, some entertainment, and things he hasn't even thought of.   
  
He's about to look into his brochure when Claude begins steering them along with a dreamy sigh. "Ooooh, I can practically _smell_ the warmth coming from over there."   
  
Dimitri can't help but laugh. "Well, that is where all the food stalls are... Of course you would go there."   
  
"Listen, I know what I like." Claude's grin is absolutely shameless. "And it'll be good for us to have something to snack on while we take a look at everything, right? It can be a nice build up to when we actually get dinner."  
  
He supposes that's a fair argument to make. Dimitri goes along with it, glancing over the large variety of food that is available to them all. Some things are a reoccurring staple, and yet that is less of a problem than one might think. There are still plenty of stalls selling only one of a certain sort of thing, such as a stall that seems to have the market cornered on hot chocolate, and another one where the scent of tamales wafts out. When they inevitably get hungry, he supposes he does have to admit that they won't be lacking choice.   
  
It's as they're browsing the stalls, making their choices, that Dimitri realizes something, and he groans into his hand. "Oh, thank goodness," he mutters, and Claude raises an eyebrow at him.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I was just thinking I'm so glad you didn't wear lace and I didn't wear that ridiculous sweater tonight." Claude's resulting laughter takes up another few minutes in their browsing, and even Dimitri has to grin.  
  
In the end, all he gets is some pan de muerto and hot chocolate, while Claude branches out with candied pumpkin and atole. That's enough for Claude to detach from Dimitri's side, which is honestly appreciated. As they drift throughout the different art displays from local artists and look over the different shrines various families have made for this event, Dimitri needs both of his hands to finish off his food without one over Claude's shoulder.   
  
There's more than only food and static exhibits, however. Their wandering eventually takes them to a sort of 'activity center', with various tables all sectioned off for a certain arts or crafts. There's someone from one of the museums watching over a table with supplies and decorations for what look like skull shaped sugar cookies- not exactly the letter of the tradition but in the spirit of it, Dimitri supposes. They're easier to eat than the actual sugar skulls that have been left out for the same reason.   
  
Dimitri and Claude find themselves there somehow, once they've cleared through their snacks and most of their drinks. At least one of them feels a bit daring, because it's Claude who takes a large sugar skull to tackle with frosting. Dimitri... Well, he can't say he's ever viewed himself as particularly artistic. At least he's not very good at it. He does the best with what he has and that means, for tonight, clumsily trying to guide white frosting along a sugar cookie.   
  
"I thought sugar skulls were supposed to be colorful?" Claude asks with a laugh, watching him hard at work.   
  
"They are, but they're white underneath, Claude."   
  
"I mean, I'm pretty sure the base sugar cookie is about as white as you are, which is pretty white, so I don't see why you're worrying about that."   
  
" _Claude_!" His date only laughs at him a little more when Dimitri puffs out his cheeks. That's around the time he looks down at the actual sugar skull Claude is working on. It's.... Well. He will say that it is very _unique_. "I understand the point is that they're meant to be colorful, vibrant, full of life and meant to remind both living and the deceased of happier times... but is it mean to have _that_ much color? Of... that kind of shade?"  
  
Dimitri doesn't remember seeing _that_ particular blinding neon purple at the ingredients table. Yet that's certainly what Claude is adding to his sugar skull with pain-staking care. "My ancestors would be flattered and amazed at my ability to improvise," Claude drawls. There is so much color on over half the skull already. Dimitri isn't entirely certain any white is going to be visible in the end. "Anyway, so you sounded pretty familiar with this sort of event, or at least the holiday."   
  
If he's certain of his creative decisions... It takes Dimitri a second to realize what Claude has said afterwards, when he's already gone back to carefully decorating his cookie. "Oh? Did I?"   
  
"Yeah. The way you said it was as if you'd just lost track of the time, of course there'd be this kind of event." From the corner of his eye, Dimitri watches Claude switch out the purple he's somehow mixed for some yellows. "Am I wrong?"   
  
"No, you're not.... Well, on the most basic level, it's simply because I once had to do a lot of research into the various ways other cultures handled death, the afterlife, that sort of thing." Dimitri puts his little plastic knife down, looking over the white frosting he has down. It's... roughly in the form of a skull. He thinks. A cartoon-ish skull, but it is a skull nonetheless. "It's rather morbid once I start getting into the details."   
  
A quiet little laugh escapes from Claude. "I mean, we are at a Day of the Dead event. I think a certain amount of morbidity is expected when it comes to a holiday like this."   
  
"That's-" Okay, he has a fair point there, Dimitri supposes, but still. "I feel as though there's some sort of rule somewhere that I can only drop so many- bombshells on you in a certain amount of time. There should be a, a.... five date breathing period, or some such thing. I already dropped one on you for our very first date." He considers a darker bit of purple frosting he has available.   
  
Claude starts applying some sunflower bold yellow. "I mean, I don't think there's really any hard and fast _rules_ to dating. No more than there are basic rules to dealing with another human person? You treat them with respect, you have some basic manners, and you communicate so that you're on whatever page you need to be with the other person."   
  
His sugar skull is starting to look like Lisa Frank is somewhere on its family tree, and in a rather immediate vicinity. Claude seems perfectly happy about this. "I mean, yeah, lots of people wouldn't start talking about how different cultures handle death, and what morbid event lead you to getting interested in that... That would probably make some people feel awkward." Pausing in his sugar skull decorating, Claude leans back to get a good look at how it's coming together.   
  
"But I'm not some people. I agreed to come to a Day of the Dead event, and I'm the one who's asking you for more. You've given me plenty of a heads up, Dimitri." Claude smiles to him. "So trust me when I say I'm interested to learn more about you."  
  
"You know, that's... possibly one of the more sensible things I've heard about dating."   
  
Another laugh rolls out of Claude; Dimitri admires it. He seems to laugh so easily, sometimes. "Well, despite what some might say, I am a surprisingly sensible person." Something about the way he winks at Dimitri makes that statement seem simultaneously dubious and true. "But how about this- you tell your heavy story, and I'll match it with something serious of my own. I promise not to make it about politics."   
  
He says it like a joke, but Dimitri wonders just how much of one it is. This is the man who takes part in a protest marching band, after all. Even more than that, he finds himself curious just what Claude has to say on things like that. Still... He nods, finally going with a brilliant blue frosting for his cookie.   
  
"Alright, well, if you insist... When I was younger, I lost my parents in an accident. It was a long time ago," he adds hastily. Claude doesn't seem like the type to give platitudes; Dimitri is just so used to that reaction that he gives the fact immediately. "But, well.... It's a difficult thing to get over. I was signed up for therapy, of course, and people around me did their best to counsel me. It just..." Carefully, he starts to put the blue frosting down to make the 'eyes' of the skull. "I suppose all the advice and reassurances I was given by the adults around me... They did the opposite of helping."   
  
From where he's applying more blinding colors to his sugar skull, Claude hums thoughtfully. "Yeah... I can see how that happens. It's never easy to talk about death, especially to a kid. It's kind of like being a walking contradiction. They think you're so delicately put together that anything will undo you, while also thinking you're so simple that it almost seems like a waste to put in too much effort. Or did I miss the mark there?"  
  
"No.... You're right." So much so that Dimitri feels Claude is talking from experience instead of making educated guesses. He won't pry, however. If Claude wants to make that his 'serious topic' for later, then he will, and Dimitri will let him have the freedom to talk about it when he wants. For now, he just continues on. "I mean, they sent me to therapy, so they must have known the effect it would have on me... but at the same time, what I kept hearing from other people was so much of the same thing: that my parents were in a better place now."   
  
"Oh, for the love of Lorenz's hair," Claude mutters, which is so out of left field that Dimitri bursts out laughing for a good minute. It utterly ruins his cookie decorating attempt too, a fact he has to deal with once he's wiped the tears from his eyes.  
  
"I ruined my cookie because of you," he murmurs, although that doesn't get rid of the smile on his face even while he tries to salvage it by nudging the blue back into place. He's going to have to get more white frosting. "Although you're not wrong, _unique_ exclamations aside."   
  
The smile fades a bit as he continues to work, although it doesn't entirely disappear. He's able to talk about this, now, and Claude has put him into a good mood besides. "So on one side, I had adults telling me things that didn't make me feel better. On the other side, I had a therapist that... wasn't really doing me any good, trying to make me move on as fast as possible. That was the impression I got often, honestly: that people wanted me to move on, be less of a burden on top of many others that had been left behind with my parents' passing." He's pretty sure this is as good as he's going to manage with the misshapen eye, so Dimitri valiantly moves onto covering up the other mess ups. "He was something of a terrible therapist, really.   
  
"Well, I wanted to be good, so I tried to do just that... but it only contributed to me feeling worse and worse, until there was a breaking point." He won't tell Claude the details of that. There's morbid, and then there's.... that. "It took me meeting the Doctor and the Professor to learn how to just.... deal with it all. After hearing about the death of my parents, they told me that I hadn't had enough time to grieve, or even come to terms with their deaths. So I was given homework: to look into how different cultures dealt with death, and the afterlife, instead of my Church's common ideology of everyone good just going to 'a better place'."   
  
Claude is slowly turning around his sugar skull, double checking to make sure not a speck of white remains. Dimitri isn't sure that's how one decorates a sugar skull, but he's not going to get in the way of his date's artistic vision. "What a homework assignment," he muses. "Saying to a depressed and overall mentally ill guy to check out our own mortality. Not that I'm questioning our Teach's methods or anything."   
  
He snorts a little bit. "It wasn't as though I was told to do it first session.... We had a long conversation about it, and what I thought of the idea once it occurred to them. It really was good for me. When people said my parents were in a better place, I always inevitably ended up thinking that meant being _with me_ wasn't good enough. And then of course I would consider myself being selfish, because a good son would want their parents to be happy."   
  
"You were a _kid_. Of course you'd want your parents there."  
  
Something about the barely restrained indignant tone to Claude's voice makes him smile. "I know." And something in that indigence makes him feel reassured that Claude really does agree, nothing faked. "So, that's why the Doctor thought it would be good for me. If the commonly accepted idea of death and the afterlife that I'd been fed all this time wasn't doing me any good... Then perhaps there was something else in the world that _would_. Something that I could think of instead of solely dominated by what I'd been taught in my childhood."   
  
Carefully, he begins decorating around the blue of his design with bright yellow as well. They compliment each other, the two colors. "It opened up my world a lot, too. I was amazed at how many different views there were throughout the world, and the different ways people thought of the afterlife. But when I stumbled across this holiday... It captured my attention the most. Ashe- well, I won't say too much about it, but he's experienced loss as well. So the two of us decided to go to an event not too unlike this one."  
  
He can still remember that night, too. It had been so easy to get swept up in the festivities and feeling of it all, enjoying new and old foods alike, taking in the shrines people had made for loved ones. He can remember how, eventually, they'd both broken down crying at the end... comforted by the idea of their family still there with them, even if unseen, and able to grieve when neither of them had ever truly had the time to do it.   
  
A smile twitches along Dimitri's face. Poor Dedue. He'd been so flustered and worried at the sight they'd made. "Since then, I've always had a fondness for these days. I wish I could have known more about this holiday when I was little."   
  
"I can see why, honestly." Apparently, his completely covered sugar skull monstrosity has lived up to Claude's expectations, because he leaves it alone for the time being so that he can lean against Dimitri's arm. Claude doesn't interfere at all, he just relaxes there and watches. "At least, I can see why it's a holiday that I'd prefer over something darker. It's a celebration of life, both that lived and that still living, and welcoming the dead to see it one more time. To see us, one more time. We share the stories of them... and they get to see what stories have developed inside us."   
  
It's hard to get a good look at Claude's face with his position being what it is, but Dimitri can hear the smile in his voice as he says, "I better leave some good ones behind for everyone to tell."  
  
"From what I've seen of you, I don't think there will be any shortage of them, frankly."   
  
This time, it's Claude who bursts out laughing, and it makes Dimitri smile as well while he puts the finishing touches on his cookie. It's a more plain design compared to whatever is going on with Claude's... but he likes it regardless.   
  
"Honestly, it's the base idea that appeals to me: that my parents aren't in some unreachable place, but visiting me, seeing how I'm doing. It feels less as though they're gone forever and more like..." Dimitri pauses, searching for both the words and his phone. "...It's more as though they simply left the house, but there's a note or snack that shows they exist, still. Er, well, although in real life, there's not actually anything, so I suppose the metaphor falls flat..." Finally, he finds where his phone had been tucked away, and pulls it out.   
  
"I mean, they did leave something behind, didn't they?" Claude tilts his head back so that his relaxed smile is visible. "There's you."   
  
That... makes Dimitri pause, the words sinking in. "I.... Well. I suppose you're right. There is me." He smiles back to Claude. "You can be surprisingly creative, you know."   
  
Claude rears back in mock offense, a hand to his chest in a way that dizzily reminds Dimitri of Lorenz despite the fact that he's met the man once and only once. "Surprisingly? _Excuse_ me, but are you saying I seem _boring_?"  
  
"Oh, of course not. I don't believe anyone could say something like that to you. It's simply..." And he raises an eyebrow down at Claude's sugar skull.   
  
" _Sir_!" Claude's laughter ruins the indignant air he's going for. "Do you have a problem with my sugar skull?"  
  
"Oh, I may not, but I cannot vouch for the spirits of the deceased who that's supposed to be for."   
  
Another laugh, a nudge, and Dimitri takes a picture to keep a memory of both sweets along with writing down what he's eaten tonight. Might as well when he already has it out, right? As he's taking that down, Claude picks up his sugar skull to inspect it again. "Are we supposed to actually eat these?" Claude asks, taking care not to smother icing all over his hands. "You've done your research, so I'm just assuming you would know."   
  
"Not traditionally," Dimitri answers, pleased that he _does_ know the answer for this. "But these kinds, I believe they're the type you're allowed to eat. Otherwise they're decoration. You know. For the deceased." With his phone done with, he goes to put it away, only to find Claude's Lisa Frank sugar skull pressed up to his mouth in offering. "You went to all that trouble to decorate it, and _now_ you don't want it?"   
  
"Since it sounds as if you're implying I have any regrets about my lovely creation, no, I don't," Claude drawls. "Can't I do something cute and share with my date? And in turn, I get to steal a bite of your cookie. That's fair, I should think. Fair and cute."   
  
" _Ah_. So it's a trade that you're aiming for." Still, Dimitri goes along with it, taking in a small bite of the skull. Since this one was clearly made in mind to be eaten, considering the lack of feathers or sparkles, it tastes... fine enough, he supposes. It's just _also_ a lot of sugar and and frosting. A... considerable amount, even in only one bite. Dimitri isn't entirely sure he's had this much concentrated sugar in his mouth in.... Ten years? For a moment all he can do is just stare blankly into space. The texture alone is... How can he even describe the texture? There's actual effort involved in getting his body to swallow it down. "Oh."  
  
For all that Dimitri's done his very best to give a muted reaction, Claude laughs again. "Oh, come on, it's not that bad." He takes a bite himself... A much _smaller_ bite, Dimitri notes, which he suspects means Claude knew well ahead of time just what he was shoving into Dimitri's mouth.   
  
On the bright side... Claude pauses, squeezing his eyes sight for a brief moment before he tucks all that sugar into his cheek. "Alright, nevermind, I will gracefully take back what I said. I knew it was going to be a lot, but I really did underestimate how much sugar they put into frosting these days." He looks around at the others sitting at tables, decorating skulls and cookies. "A lot of kids at this, huh?"  
  
"Hm? Oh, yes."   
  
The sugar skull is waggled from inbetween Claude's fingers. "Their parents must be absolute _masochists_."   
  
That draws out another laugh from Dimitri's lips, even as he breaks off a bit of his sugar cookie to pass over to Claude. It's _far_ less of a sugar overdose, thanks to far less icing being on it with his reserved design, and thus easier on the tongue.   
  
"You don't have to tell me anything, you know," Dimitri says as they leave the decorating station, with all its warm light and sugar. Claude raises an eyebrow at him, and Dimitri continues. "I mean, when you said to make an exchange of morbid or serious topics. I don't want to push you."   
  
"I was the one who suggested it, Dimitri," Claude reminds him, amused. "I don't suggest things I have no interest in doing. I know we've only been dating for a little while, but believe me. Besides... It's actually kind of freeing talking about this stuff. So it all works out."   
  
A small side path goes through various altar decorations, all done by resident artists. They're a bit more elaborate, this lot, with an altar featuring quite a few different variations of La Catrina at the forefront. Dimitri nudges Claude towards it. "It's freeing?" he asks, curious to both the altar designs and Claude's own point of view.   
  
Claude pauses to admire an altar that's almost drowning in marigolds, all of it threaded together in a subtly intricate pattern. "Yeah. Normally, for a lot of my dates, we stick to safe topics, right? What movies we like, how we got into our jobs, various little things like that. And those are all _important_ on some level, don't get me wrong... You and me have talked about those kinds of things ourselves."   
  
He shrugs, relaxed as they move along the path. "But there's always that tip-toeing a person has to do at the very beginning of the relationship where they have to figure out if their date is a prick, or dramatic issues that could rear up on date 2, or if they'd say shitty things about the really important stuff."   
  
"For example?"   
  
"Hmmm... For example, politics." Claude pauses to smile back at him, a funny little quirk of his mouth. "For example, how you were the only person I told about my band after the first date."   
  
Dimitri is fairly certain that his surprise shows on his face, and he blinks at Claude. "Really? Only me? Why?"  
  
"Oh, there are lots of reasons." Crouching down to read some poetry that makes up one altar, Claude's smile becomes a little more wry. "The part about it being a fun marching band, you can get some good reactions with that, so that's fine. But then more than a few people will hear that it's all for protests- or, rather, one particular protest that they don't agree with but that are important _regardless_ , important enough for me to go perform at- and they'll suddenly get... Hm, how do I put this..."   
  
Claude makes a show of thinking, tilting his head from side to side and tapping his chin. " _Pushy_ is the very nice term I could use. _Assholish_ is what I find to be a bit more fitting, nine times out of ten."   
  
It's certainly a descriptor, and Dimitri makes a face. "Even while you were on dates? I mean, not that I suppose I can say anything about inappropriate subjects to bring up during a date, but..."   
  
"But you were telling me delicate health information that you felt would affect future dates between us," Claude interrupts mildly, smiling at whatever playful story the poem contains. Pushing himself up to his feet again, he hums. "Well, I guess all those past dates were _also_ telling me important and delicate health information that could have done very much the same. I mean, it's a truly terrible affliction, having one's head stuck so far up their own anus. My heart goes out to those poor souls in desperate need of the jaws of life from their own tightly puckered assholes."   
  
Oh no- Dimitri claps his hand over his mouth as he quickly turns his head away, desperate to hide his smile and muffle his startled laugh. " _Claude_!"   
  
So many people no doubt wish they could look half as smug as Claude does in this moment, leaning against Dimitri's arm. "You can admit that I'm as stunningly hilarious as I am absolutely handsome," he drawls. "I understand completely."   
  
"Now, I rather don't recall saying anything of the sort." Dimitri's smile can just barely be seen over his hand. "Please don't put words in my mouth."   
  
"Are you disagreeing that I'm handsome?"   
  
"Well... I suppose it would be rather untrue if I even tried to argue that, with what I've said to you." His teeth catch on his lip, as if that can stop his smile at all.   
  
Satisfied, Claude just curls up further against him, and it's the two of them together in the cool autumn night going down the path now. "Ha. And don't I know it. But, yeah, that's how some of those kinds of dates would go." He shrugs, shoulder nudging up against Dimitri's side. "At worst, well... Some people know their opinions are under fire as times change, so they explode at even a hint of opposition. I got a _lot_ of insults tossed at me, if I ever let slip the 'wrong' thing I supported. You certainly find out just how much someone actually respects you with what insults they use when they find out what you support...   
  
"It was better to deal with the ones trying to pretend civility. At least then you only had to deal with passive aggression, or awkwardness. Then they'd just never sign up for the next date." Tilting his head back, Claude sighs up at the night air. "So I decided I'd quit doing that for a while until I could ferret out how they felt about certain things first. Eventually, I stopped dating at all for a while. Makes me wonder why I even brought it up in the first place back then."   
  
"Hm? You don't know?"   
  
Claude raises an eyebrow at him, amused. "When you say it that way, it almost makes it sound as if you know and I don't."   
  
"I thought it was obvious," Dimitri admits. "I mean, I admit that I'm only so familiar with you right now... Perhaps I'm wrong, in which case, do correct me. But for something that's so important to you, that you've put so much effort into... Anyone would want to share that part of themselves with another person, and find support in it.   
  
"Of course, you have all your friends with you. I would never underestimate that bond, especially Hilda and Lorenz. But... I don't think it's unreasonable to want to have someone you're _in love with_ be similar, because that's a bond that... It's different from friendship. It brings its own things to the table in terms of support." Pausing, he can't help feeling as though he's rambled. "I apologize for all of that."  
  
At the start, Claude was grinning at him. Now, however, he's smiling at him, soft and warm. "No, you're right. It gets tiring, doing everything and then not even finding someone who can love every bit of you. Well, then it becomes a sort of self fulfilling prophecy, I suppose."   
  
A self fulfilling prophecy.... He thinks he understands. "I can only relate to that in terms of myself," Dimitri muses as they finally step back onto the main path, away from the many altars with their complicated and beautiful art pieces. "But I suppose... You become so scared about what might happen that eventually you start hiding every bit of yourself, even that which might not need to be hidden at all. I did that for a while myself, I must admit..." Dimitri shakes his head. It was during his down years.  
  
"But once I got my feet underneath me, and spoke to my therapists, I realized that wasn't what I wanted. I wanted the relationship I thought my parents had: open and honest. So that's what I told myself I wanted to strive for... especially with my condition as it is." A huff of air filters out from between his teeth. "Even if that does make things rather difficult."  
  
"Please, you're not difficult to love at all." There's a beat of silence between Claude's words, as though he's rethinking something.   
  
Dimitri doesn't really have much in him to think deeply on why he is. "I'm glad you think so," he says quietly, resisting the urge to curl his hand up over his chest.   
  
It's a good thing he doesn't have much to think on Claude's pause; Claude forges ahead with the conversation. " _Anyway_ , I liked that about you when we went on our first date," Claude continues, resting his head against Dimitri's shoulder as the two of them keep walking; something in his heart warms so utterly that it feels as though it will melt between the gaps of his ribs. "I could tell that you'd been spurned before because of your schizophrenia, but you still took that leap. There's no way it was easy to do, but you did it. I realized that's what I was wanting for myself, too: that rosy relationship where I could just be happy without worrying about when I'd set off a bomb.  
  
"It's why I decided to invite you over to my apartment. You know, not only get to meet Lorenz and Hilda, but learn about what I was so passionate about. If you were going to be honest, I should at least try to be a little bit myself, right?" He laughs a bit, tugging Dimitri in the direction of a set of boards which seem to be going indepth on the history of the holiday. "And it's why I'm trying to think of just what exactly I can give as an equivalent exchange after what you talked about."   
  
"I thought that's what you were doing." Dimitri tries to be subtle in the way he shifts his arm, winding it around Claude's back. He's pretty sure he fails at the subtle part. Claude doesn't say anything on it. Instead, he keeps his head tucked right where it is. In this position, Dimitri can't see his face, can't see the expression he's making, but it _feels_ , somehow, like his date is smiling. Maybe that's cheap of him. Claude often smiles, after all. "Your band work is so important to you. I saw how much all of you do for it. Being included in that, being allowed to see it... I felt honored."   
  
"You know, while I _do_ like to see just how much I can get away with, I will put on some honesty and say that feels a little bit like cheating on my end."  
  
Claude really is good- to him, yes, but also in general. Dimitri wonders how much he can fall for one person before he hits solid ground, because it feels like he'll never reach the bottom. "Well, for me... It's not so much about the morbid nature that equalizes things. Everyone has their own struggles that are important to them. It doesn't mean anyone else's is lesser. Just... different." Or so the Byleths have told him, and he's inclined to follow their advice. "So I'm not judging based on that. Rather... I got to learn more about you in general. How you think and- the things that are important to you. So that's important to me."   
  
"And that's exactly what I'm talking about," Claude murmurs into his arm, soft and sweet in some way that Dimitri can't really describe. Yet before he can inquire as to what exactly he means, Claude is pointing at one of the boards and drawing him into a conversation about how different things would be for an entire month of this holiday instead of only two days. Before he knows it, Dimitri has forgotten what he'd meant to ask.  
  
The museums and vendors all have clearly put in a great deal of work into the event. There's no end of altars to look at, stories and old news reports all pulled together to tell history, and Dimitri adores the entire thing. "This event is just as nice as I always remember it being," Dimitri says when he and Claude have finally decided it's time to get dinner. It's all still hot on their knees when they settle down on the grass that stretches out in front of a simple stage, where a band plays. "Every event like this I've gone to- public ones that anyone is welcome to take part in- it's always felt so warm."   
  
"I'd joke that's the tamale on your lap," Claude teases, his own food set carefully to the side, "but no. I get what you mean. It really carries through the spirit of the holiday, huh? At least as much as I know about it." He hums idly, cutting through his food. "There's that common thread entwining everything together, from the warmth of the lights to the colors brightening this place up. No wonder the departed can find their way to places like this."   
  
"Just follow the sound of music and the smell of food in open air." Dimitri chuckles a little, smiling towards the stage. "Or... just follow home and family. I suppose for a lot of people, those two are bound together."   
  
Claude laughs around the straw of his drink. "Boy, are my ancestors going to have a tough time finding me then. Home is where the heart is, and mine has certainly gone to quite a few different places at this point."   
  
Leaning over, Dimitri nudges his shoulder against Claude's. "Now, you'll have to tell me what you mean by that. Perhaps at our next date?"  
  
He gets a wink for his trouble. "Hmmm.... I'm in such a good mood, I might even tell you it for free."   
  
Claude was right, when he said there was a common thread binding everything together. Certainly, it's in the lights strung up all throughout the park, leaving it in a warm glow that heaven must certainly see. Even where they are at the stage, Dimitri can smell the overabundance of spices and cooking food that makes him feel as though he's at someone's home.   
  
In the distance, he can hear children laughing- probably all decorating their sugar skulls at that little set up and making brilliantly colored treats that would bring a smile to anyone's face. The music is loud and upbeat, celebrating the noise of life, welcoming back all stray spirits. Yet there's one more thing that adds to the overall warmth of the festivities, something that's not exactly tradition.   
  
It's just... Claude. Sitting there besides him, telling him about all the different places he's moved to since he was a kid, the different houses and apartments whose secrets he ferreted out within a month of living in them, funny stories specific to one place or another. Individually, they're all little things, but they're little things like how grains of sand in a beach are technically little. What they come together to form, their whole part... That's what's important. For sand, it's a beach. For the stories.... It's Claude.   
  
He's probably jumping the gun here, Dimitri suspects, but, even knowing that, he can only think that he'd be happy listening to Claude tell stories forever.  
  
The night drags on with food and conversation, both of them enjoying the various different bands which take to the stage, but it's a night that can't last forever. Soon enough, there's someone up on the stage announcing this is the last song, that soon the stalls will close up and that the event tables like the sugar skulls already have. Dimitri blinks up as if waking from a daze. He'd known they'd been there together for a long while, yet it's somehow a struggle to come to terms that it's been long enough for things to _end_.   
  
Regardless of how he personally feels, that is still the last song beginning, and he feels some impulse seize him. Both of their plates have long been put to the side, completely cleared. He's free to rise up onto his feet, offering his hand down to Claude. "I understand this is rather- silly, and sudden, but- would you like to dance?" The band on stage is certainly encouraging it as they call out to audience members, many of who are already up on their feet with friends and family and loved ones. Yet even if it's being encouraged by everything around him, he can't help feeling a little awkward.   
  
Something about Claude's delighted laughter and the warm weight of his hand in Dimitri's makes the feeling vanish in the beat of his heart. "Do you know how to dance?" he asks playfully, allowing himself to be hauled up to his feet. Maybe it's just a trick of the light, but his cheeks seem a little darker, and his smile just a little more eager when Dimitri does it so easily.   
  
Well, whether it's a trick of the light or his mind or what, Dimitri still has it in him to protest. "I do!" Except then he realizes just what he's protesting about, and there's no trick of the light to explain the blush that burns across his own face. "I mean, it might not be appropriate dancing.."   
  
Their fingers link together, both hands, and Claude tugs him along while his eyes take on that trademark curious shine. "Oh? And just what kind of inappropriate dancing does Dimitri Blaiddyd know?"   
  
His blush didn't need more tinder, it really didn't. "Not like _that_. Just- alright, very well, so it was _ballroom dancing_ , okay?" Dimitri was rather expecting the burst of hyena-like laughter from Claude. Knowing it was coming doesn't make him stop his resulting sigh. "Yes, yes, I _know_."  
  
"I have so many questions," Claude gasps as he's hauled along, blinking away tears of mirth. "Oh, you poor soul. At what age?"   
  
There are no end of words to describe his feelings towards Claude... but Dimitri really does consider flinging him into the grass, just a little bit. "I'd just started elementary school," he huffs. He's not really sure what dance they're doing, honestly. Theoretically, as the taller person, he should be leading... but he really genuinely has no idea. He just twirls Claude around and tries not to step on his feet. As long as he can do that second part and Claude has fun, Dimitri will consider this an accomplishment. "My grandparents- ah, watch out- they were insistent on it, so, into a class I went. I only did it for a year."   
  
If Claude grins any wider, his face is going to split apart. "Of course. It was the grandparents. I should have known. That can't be the only kind of dance you know, can it?"   
  
"Does the Cha Cha Slide count?" Dimitri comments dryly, and is rewarded by Claude clinging to him to stay upright as he bursts into laughter once again.   
  
At this point, it's more Dimitri carrying Claude around instead of the two of them dancing properly, but that's more than fine. Dimitri would carry Claude around everywhere just to see the way he smiles up at him. "Oh, that eternal classic. Should we give it a go here and now?"  
  
This time it's Dimitri's turn to laugh. "Claude, it's a _mariachi band_ , we're not doing the Cha Cha Slide to mariachi-!"   
  
They end up trying anyway, just a little bit, laughing the entire time before they go back to the clumsy turns and twists they try to attach to the music. Dimitri is pretty sure that, together, they're not very good, and that's fine. A lot of people in the audience aren't good either. It doesn't matter. They're smiling, both of them, everyone, and he thinks that's more than good enough. The song finishes to applause, the world still warm.  
  
Filtering out from the park into the cool and dark city air feels sort of strange, a dichotomy that he usually only associates with going home at around this hour. Yet it's not entirely the same. How could it be, when Claude is still cuddling against his side, humming along to the last song of the night? "I wonder if we would have stayed out this late if the arcade had still been open," Dimitri muses, guiding them both to the subway.   
  
"Who knows," Claude dismisses casually, utterly content in not bothering with hypotheticals. Dimitri likes that, too. He gets lost in his head far too often. "But while the arcade would have been a pretty fun night on its own, I don't mind the twist our date took." Once they're down in the subway, the heat of rails and electricity curling around them, Claude still doesn't detach from his side. Dimitri tries not to let his heart get too far up his throat. "The food was great, even if that sugar skull might keep me awake for a million years, and I got to do one of my favorite things."  
  
"Doing the Cha Cha Slide to mariachi?"   
  
The sharp bark of laughter bursting out of him isn't quite the same as when it rolls out of Claude in a tidal wave, but Dimitri still likes it. "It might place on the list now!" he snickers as the two of them make their way past the gates, the only thing that finally gets them to detach for a minute. "But I was thinking more learning about things. The museums really put together a hell of an event. Of course..." Tilting his head back, he smiles at Dimitri from the corner of his eye. "Learning about you was pretty nice too. Ballroom dancing and all."  
  
Maybe it was a regret telling Claude about that; Dimitri's blush goes to his ears. Yet there's no time for him to argue about that. They're at a split in stairways leading to different lines, and he hesitates.   
  
It's the end of the night, the end of their date, and he really should let Claude go. He's probably exhausted... and this is only their second date. Yet he really, truly doesn't want to. "So do you have anything on the agenda when you get back to your apartment?" he asks, lingering as he stalls for time. Just a couple minutes more. He swears that's all he'll ever ask for.   
  
It must be terribly obvious to someone as quick as Claude, but he doesn't call Dimitri out on it. All he does is stay perfectly comfortable by his side. "Hmm... You know, I didn't make any concrete plans?" He grins slyly up at Dimitri. "I didn't know how long I'd be out with you... and I'm pretty pleased with my own intelligence, because we sure have been out for a while, haven't we?" Another soft laugh leaves him at the sight of Dimitri's embarrassed blush. "So I'm pretty free right now."   
  
Dimitri hadn't said anything, it was just an innocent question... and yet something about Claude's phrasing really does make it seem like an invitation in some ways. He swallows thickly, heart beating rapidly in his chest to the point that it almost doesn't seem to have any weight.   
  
"I see," he says, not sure what else to say. It's only the second date, he reminds himself. How could he rush on the second date? Unless... "Well, I do feel rather terrible for taking up so much of your time. I know that your apartment is quite a ways from the subway station." Be natural. Be calm. He can do both of those things, can't he? "I think I would rather worry if I let you go like this, leaving you to walk dark streets all on your own."   
  
That sly grin only seems to grow on Claude's lips. "Now, are you inviting me to _your_ apartment, sir?" he murmurs softly, slowly pulling his hands out from his pockets, fingertips brushing along Dimitri's hand.  
  
"You make it sound _scandalous_ like that!" Dimitri protests, earning more of Claude's chuckling. "But- yes, I am. Not for any untoward reason-"   
  
"Which I wouldn't mind if it was," Claude says with a wink.   
  
Dimitri blushes some more, but barrels forward or else he knows they won't get anywhere. "But my couch can unfold and become a bed, so you could stay the night and get back home come morning. You don't have work tomorrow, isn't that right? So I could... try to make breakfast, if you'd like." Dimitri has no real confidence in his ability to cook, although it's perfectly edible and hasn't gotten him sick yet. Still, he feels he should make the offer. "Or we could even go out, if that isn't appealing to you."   
  
"The way you tacked that on makes it sound as though you're worried about what you would feed me," Claude notes in amusement. "But now I'm curious for the breakfast alone." And with that, Claude leans them a little bit in the direction of Dimitri's path. "Then, shall we?"   
  
This late at night, and it's definitely the time when more than a few strange folks sometimes pop up... But fortunately, none of them board the same car Dimitri is in, looking like a rather strange type himself which is almost a sort of defense in a way. The strangest thing they come across is the stop where two women join their car, both of them using their bodies combined to hold up one of the largest and most serene pythons that Dimitri thinks he has ever seen. Claude even asks for a picture, and gets one.  
  
Besides a run in with the python women, nothing else of note occurs on the way to Dimitri's apartment, and Claude keeps up a casual stream of chatter that Dimitri listens to with only occasional input. Part of that is because he simply likes to hear Claude talk. The other part is because he really is starting to feel the drag of the night himself, his mind wanting to tuck itself away after what's become a rather satisfactory night.   
  
Yet of course, when they take the elevator up to his floor, that's when things don't become _entirely_ as simple as they'd like. They've barely stepped out into the hallway when the door before his clicks open, and Annette is sticking her head out. "See, Mercie, I _told_ you I had heard it moving when I came in-" And then she pauses, finally looking out from her apartment towards Dimitri... and Claude. "Oh! _Oh_."   
  
At his side, Dimitri is distinctly aware of Claude's absolutely shameless grin and the equally shameless waggle of his fingers he sends Annette's way. He's also distinctly aware of how red his own face has gotten. "Good evening, Annette. Working late?" he asks as he hurries Claude down the hall.  
  
That snaps her out of it a little bit. "Oh, yeah! You know how it is." A wide smile spreads across her face, and she sticks out her hand. "And it's nice to meet you! _You_ must be Claude, right? Dimitri's said _soooo_ many great things about you!" While him and Claude are passing by the open door, Dimitri can see into her apartment where Dedue has gotten to his own feet with two mugs in his hand. At both the image of Dimitri and Claude passing front of his apartment along with Annette's own words, his expression subtly shifts to one of both understanding and sympathy.   
  
In the meantime, Claude accepts Annette's hand with a wide grin. "I could say the same, including all the fantastic things Dimitri has said about you in turn." The unexpected compliment has her pause, and then brightly beam. "Anyway, we don't want to keep you when you've just gotten off work. See you later!" He winks and waves, thankfully allowing himself to again be herded down the hallway where Dimitri's door is.   
  
That's a relief. What's slightly less of a relief is when Dimitri glances back towards Annette's apartment to see her giving him a thumbs up before Dedue's patient hand comes into sight to guide her back.  
  
"They're all going to think the worst," Dimitri says in quiet dismay once the two of them are finally in his apartment. He forgets to take off his shoes and discounts taking his coat off entirely, instead pulling his phone out for a frantic text. He barely notices Claude displaying some slightly better manners as he reaches down to remove his own sneakers.   
  
Hell, he barely notices Claude when he asks, amused, "And just why would they think that?"   
  
Dimitri has an entire message already written out and ready to send to Dedue when that question makes him pause. Actually explaining why he's embarrassed, it's.. Well, he actually needs a moment to formulate the words in his head and hope they leave his tongue making some modicum of sense.   
  
"I... Well, perhaps calling it the worst would be an over-exaggeration," he admits. His anxiety and depression aren't at their worst right now- he likes to think the night has helped as much as it's probably been his medication and therapy- but old habits are hard to let go of. Sometimes they simply crop up. He knows, factually, that Dedue and everyone else in that apartment has seen him at far worse and that being seen bringing home his boyfriend after a date isn't anywhere _near_ that level. "I'm just worried. Well. Embarrassed would be the more suitable term."  
  
"Yeah, you don't seem like the type to kiss and tell," Claude says with a laugh, hanging up his coat. "Although that tendency might not matter when your friends are your neighbors right down the hall."   
  
Sighing, Dimitri begins to delete his message for something a little more... reserved. Something that's one sentence, maybe. "I really wasn't considering that as a problem I might face when I encouraged them to move in, you know," he says, hoping his text is good enough before he finally puts it away. He really needs to start taking off his own boots and jacket.   
  
Claude has already moved over to sprawl shamelessly along the couch, texting presumably Hilda or Lorenz to let them know he won't be coming back tonight. "I'm surprised you haven't had to deal with that on your end," he notes, putting his phone onto the coffee table. "Thick walls or considerate neighbors?"  
  
A furious red crosses over Dimitri's face, and he coughs into one hand as he hangs up his own jacket. "Who knows," he says, voice a little bit tight, before he desperately tries to change the subject. "Do you think you'll be fine sleeping in those clothes? I can give you some spare t-shirts of mine, if you don't mind them being a little big."   
  
For whatever reason, that makes Claude's eyes completely light up, and he rises to a sitting position on the couch. "It would definitely help keep my current clothes a _little_ cleaner for when I have to get back home in the morning," he says, although that seems a bit reserved for the gleam of excitement in his eye. "I'd _love_ to wear some of your spare clothes."   
  
"Then, I'll go get some." Now free of his own boots, Dimitri tilts his head towards the kitchen. "Help yourself to anything you like. There's nothing I'm really saving for a special occasion." In a few weeks, that might change, but there's no need to hold Claude back now. With that permission given, Dimitri heads to his room, flicking lights on along the way.  
  
Of course, once he's in his room, he has to face the _state_ of his room, and Dimitri grimaces while he hastily shuts his door behind him. One of these days, he swears he's going to clean it all up. He really will. It's just _so easy_ to put off, now that he's living on his own especially.   
  
At least when he was roommates with Sylvain, he'd felt compelled to do it from a mixture of Sylvain's casual reminders or comments along with his own guilt spurring him onwards. Some of that has even stuck, he supposes, or otherwise the rest of his apartment would be just as bad as his bedroom. He'd never be able to stomach inviting Claude over in that case. But his own room, where no one ever comes to visit except for when Ingrid is feeling especially up to the task of checking in on his health....   
  
"Tomorrow," he promises himself, taking a quick detour to write a sticky note and attach it to his desktop computer. While he's thinking of it, he _has_ to write it down. He still might not follow his own orders come the next day, but... Well, he at least has to give it a go. Maybe his own shame will finally force him to work.  
  
But tomorrow is another day. For tonight, which is happening right now, he has to get clothes for Claude to sleep in, because if he can't be a privately clean host, he can at least be an attentive one. Their height difference means that anything he gives Claude is guaranteed to be at least just a tad too large, honestly. Still, Dimitri does the best he can.   
  
He makes sure not to dig anything out of his "I can probably wear this twice in a row" pile, instead going for his drawers, and finds some sweatpants with drawstrings that should help mitigate the size difference issue. There are a few t-shirts he could donate to this cause, and it's here he's slightly more picky. Claude would _probably_ be fine with anything... But still. Dimitri fusses until he manages to find a shirt with a stylized crescent moon on it. It's not the worst thing in his closet, he supposes. It can do until when he next does laundry.   
  
Not that he's going to make it a habit of just inviting Claude over to make him stay the night in such terrible conditions, he reminds himself, tucking the clothing under his arm. Although maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing? He doesn't think the internet ever mentioned dating advice for this specific kind of situation. At the very least, he should prepare a proper bed or something ahead of time instead of shoving Claude onto his couch.  
  
"I've got some things," Dimitri announces upon returning to the living room, only to find Claude leaning over the small Ipod station he has set up not too far from the television.   
  
Claude looks over his shoulder with a grin. "Great, then I'll just change in the bathroom." He jabs a thumb in the direction of the Ipod. "I was thinking of putting on some music just to fill up the awkward silence of standing in someone else's apartment with nothing to do, but I didn't want to mess with anything just in case."   
  
Shrugging, Dimitri puts down the clothing onto the coffee table. He imagines Claude can grab them whenever he's ready. "Oh, I don't mind. I probably should have turned something on to start with. I apologize." He's not used to having guests over anymore. Honestly, he can't remember having guests over in years... Well, besides his friends, and Dimitri knows none of them would hesitate on turning on the television or booting up a game if they were bored.  
  
Claude gives him that bright grin, goes "Great!", and turns back to the Ipod to turn it on. Dimitri doesn't think too much more about it, even as the first few lyrics begin filtering in. He's a bit more preoccupied with adjusting furniture so that the couch has room to unfold. He's recalling where his extra sheets are when his brain actually begins to do some processing, and realizes just _what_ song in particular is filtering out from the speakers.   
  
It's all a rather cheery and sort of fun, in audio alone. A sort of vintage tune, as though straight from the 1940s. And then, the lyrics, well...   
  
_I've pressed, I've pushed, I've yelled, I've begged  
In hopes of some success  
But the inevitable fact is that I never will impress!_  
  
Dimitri whirls around on his feet, straightening up in the process. "No, don't, that's a, can we change it?" he fumbles out, even as his brain already knows that the words coming out of his mouth won't be in time. Claude blinks over at him, eyebrows raised, but it's too late. The lyrics continue to roll out.   
  
_I've no more fucks to give!  
My fucks have runneth dry!   
I've tried to go fuck shopping but there's no fucks left to buy!_  
  
Slowly, Dimitri covers his face with both hands, and he can hear Claude try to choke back a laugh with minimal success. "I apologize," he grits out, "that you had to hear.... Well. It's not particularly the most polite song to have in company, is it?"   
  
There's no immediate answer beyond more choked back laughter, and Dimitri peeks out from between his fingers. Claude is bent over the table, hand at his mouth, shaking with how much he's trying to hold back just absolutely losing it right there in Dimitri's living room.   
  
It takes him a moment to respond. "I've seen you in a virgin killer sweater and one pane of glass away from wrestling lions," Claude says, laughter still bubbling throughout his voice. Even with his own embarrassment being what it is, Dimitri can't help but appreciate the sound. "I think we can safely move away from whatever is polite. Although-" He takes a breath, hand fluttering as if he can exorcise his own desire to cackle. "Is it really that embarrassing for you?"   
  
He does sound genuine there, at least. Dimitri faintly remembers his words at the zoo grill, promising to watch out for himself and asking Dimitri to check him in turn.   
  
Well, he supposes he should reassure him. It's not that big a deal, after all. Sighing, Dimitri sweeps his hair back from his face. "I suppose it's mostly embarrassing because, well, that song is for... particular occasions?" With the couch unfolded, he leans forward to rest his weight against a chair instead. "It's a song I save for bad days, or when I'm simply frustrated with something." He makes a small gesture, fingers splayed out. "But this has been a rather fantastic night. So I guess it just feels... _extra_ inappropriate in terms of context."   
  
"Inappropriate or not, I think it's the most hilarious thing I've heard in a while," Claude chuckles. "Like I said, this is definitely more than fine. So..." He looks over to him, those green eyes shining and his grin wide. "Can I restart it and appreciate the whole thing?"   
  
Well, the cat's already out of the bag. Shaking his head, Dimitri makes a 'go ahead' sort of wave. "If you really want, although I warn you that it's all very much in line with the chorus."  
  
" _Perfect_." And with that, Claude starts the song all over again. Stepping away from the ipod, he leans back against the chair on the opposite side from Dimitri to apparently just... savor the music. He manages to keep it mostly together through the first few verses that he's already heard, although his hand is over his mouth like _that_ is going to hide the enormous grin he's wearing. But once it gets to the parts they were talking over?   
  
_I've no more fucks left to give!  
My fuck fuse has just blown  
I've been hunting for my fucks all day but they've upped and fucked off home!_  
  
....Right. That's when Claude begins to absolutely lose it, laughing so hard from the pit of him and clutching his stomach as though he's afraid it will fall out from the force of his cackling. Dimitri honestly isn't sure how on earth he can even hear the song if he's laughing so hard and so much. Still, well. At least he's happy. All _he_ does is wait it out, biting back a grin of his own. "Are you done now?" he asks.  
  
At some point in his mad cackling, Claude had twisted around to bury his face into the chair cushions, fingers holding onto it as if for dear life. There are still a few leftover giggles when he straightens up, wiping the tears of mirth from his eyes. "I think I could listen to that forever," he tells Dimitri, crossing his arms over the back of the chair as he cranes his head back to look at him. "You know, I was imagining a lot of different songs you might have on your playlists, but _that_ isn't something I could have ever dreamed of. I'm honestly impressed."   
  
Absently, in the back of his head, Dimitri can't help but think how good he looks like this: rosy faced, bright eyed, grinning brilliantly. It's like seeing him at the protest all over again. The rest of his brain, thankfully, is more occupied with the conversation at hand.   
  
"And just what kind of music did you think I listened to? Because that's only a _very_ small sample, I can promise." In fact, more of his music is already beginning to play. Dimitri might not be paying the most attention to it, but he can still faintly recognize it as some sort of.... calming lo-fi sort of nonsense. If only that had been the music to come on instead of his 'laying face down on the couch' song.  
  
A long faux-thoughtful hum rolls out of Claude as he pretends to remember. "Let's see... Well, tonight, after learning about your _fascinating_ childhood, I was putting a bet on the small percentage that you would still be haunted by classical music even to this day." When Dimitri groans, because he's not even entirely wrong, Claude laughs. "But my main bet was actually on any mix of the top 100 songs... from ten years ago."   
  
Dimitri squints at him warily. "Did you look into the different songs I have on there _already_?" he accuses, and shakes his head when Claude bursts out laughing again.   
  
Fortunately it only lasts a few seconds instead of minutes. "I did," Claude admits after a moment, smiling. "But I didn't get very far before you came back. I got sidetracked by what looks like a heavy metal album. Now, that, I understand far more for frustration music, honestly."  
  
"I listen to it sometimes for my work out days with Felix," Dimitri admits, pushing himself away from the chair so that he can scoop up the clothes he's put on the table.  
  
He doesn't go much further in-depth on that. On how his workout days with Felix are the only ones he doesn't have on his regular schedule. On how they just meet up when either one of them is frustrated and angry. That would bring about a long complex discussion he's not really sure he's ready to have with Claude, or ever would be interested in having. Some things... They're just for him, and Felix.   
  
Instead, for right now, he hands over the change of clothing. "Do you want me to put on a movie, and get some light snacks to eat? It feels rather rude to invite you to stay the night and then simply shove you to bed."   
  
Claude chuckles. "Such a gentleman," he teases. "I wouldn't mind a movie like the one we watched last time, then." Winking, he heads towards the bathroom. "See you in a minute."  
  
Well, it shouldn't take that long to change, Dimitri imagines. He heads to his kitchen, flicking on one of its smaller lights so that he can begin perusing what he has available. They've just gotten back from a nice night with a good meal, and they'll soon go to sleep besides. Nothing too heavy... But he, personally, will certainly need *something* to go alongside his medication, to make sure his stomach has food in it.   
  
He's narrowed down his choices a little bit based on what he's eaten late at night before when he hears the sounds of footsteps, and clothing shifting against itself because it's too big. "So, what I was thinking-" he starts to say, turning to face Claude, before he finds himself coming to an utter silent halt.   
  
Whatever product Claude puts in his hair normally, he's washed out now, and that leaves behind those gentle curls falling across his head and framing his face. Dimitri had always thought he'd rather liked the braid that occasionally is done up besides his face, courtesy of Hilda, but everything as it is... That's still far too attractive all on its own. Maybe it's Dimitri feeling too self-important, but he can't help feeling as though he's being allowed to see something soft and private, too. Something he only gets to see because Claude is comfortable.   
  
That alone would kill him. It truly and genuinely would. Yet, as Dimitri takes in Claude's appearance, he realizes he's made a grave tactical error. When he'd offered some spare clothes to his date, he'd been doing it to be _polite_.  
  
He could not have possibly have known ahead of time that seeing Claude in his clothes- and they are _distinctly_ his clothes, sagging and loose all around Claude's frame- would make his heart body-slam straight into his ribs. That can't be normal, can it? This shouldn't be a big deal at all. While Dimitri can't recall a single moment in the past where he's loaned his clothing to someone he's dated, well, he and his friends have done it all the time. Sylvain, earlier, is even a prime example of that. So what is it about Claude that's getting him so worked up?   
  
Besides how his shirt is just a little too large on Claude, slipping downwards to expose just a bit more of the curve from his neck down to his shoulder.   
  
Besides how Claude hasn't bothered to really roll up the sweatpants he's put on, leaving just his toes to peek out from a swath of fabric, something Dimitri didn't think about but which somehow only matches the overall softness that's been brought into his apartment.  
  
Besides how so utterly _intimate_ this all somehow feels, with his loose hair and clothing he could curl into and that easy smile on his face, to the point that Dimitri wants to stride over to him. He wants to dip his hand beneath his own shirt, watch it crumple underneath his wrist as he slides his hand along Claude's stomach before stealing a kiss.   
  
"So?" Claude says, breaking Dimitri's stupefied chain of thought.   
  
When he rather numbly blinks up to look at Claude, the other man's relaxed and easygoing grin has shifted to something a little more sly and amused. "Pardon?" he says, trying to snap his own brain out of it.   
  
Claude's sly grin only widens. "So what were you thinking?" he prompts. "You were in the middle of talking when I suppose something.... caught your eye."   
  
...Oh. Oh no. Dimitri feels his entire face, right to his hairline, begin to heat up. Has he been staring silently at Claude _this entire time_? How long was he allowed to do that?   
  
Hastily, he clears his throat and tears his gaze away lest he somehow fall to temptation once again. " _So_ ," he says, trying to continue as if he didn't make a complete and utter fool of himself. "I've told you before that I try not to have too many typical snack foods around, but there are a few things that wouldn't be bad to eat at this time. How do you feel about bananas, or some almonds?"  
  
Another beat of silence, but now at least it's not on his end. Unfortunately, when he looks over to Claude again to see exactly what's taking so long, that sly grin is still absolutely in place. When he sees the question in Dimitri's stare, Claude tilts his head to the side with another low laugh. "So," he says, a single syllable word drawn out slow. "You're offering me a _banana_ and some _nuts_. Is that it?" Mirth absolutely shines in those eyes of his.   
  
Dimitri doesn't get it. At least, he doesn't get it until Claude raises one hand and curls his fingers into a loose circle around absolutely nothing. The pure _suggestiveness_ of the action, even without the look on Claude's face, sends Dimitri's face from 25% heat to a full and broken 200% burning in record time.   
  
One of these days, he's going to learn. That's what Dimitri hopes, anyway, as he finally gives up all pretense of looking through his cupboards to instead lean back against his counters and just cover his face in his hands. "May I please be put down in the back of the apartment complex like a beast instead of continuing to exist and embarrass myself?" he mutters into the air.   
  
Claude's soft laughter accompanies the sound of his shuffling footsteps until he's right besides Dimitri, and one of his hands pries his away so that they can look at each other. "I think I'd have some objections if that happened," he tells him, smoothly interlocking their fingers together. "Who else would take me on so many fun dates, then?"   
  
While his face is still painfully red, Dimitri manages to smile. "I still say we've technically only had two."   
  
A wink. "And I still say we've had five, plus so many little visits to the Golden Deer and our own texting on the side."   
  
Dimitri is fairly certain that the other three occasions definitely weren't dates, on account of Dedue, Raphael, and Felix being involved, at the very least. Still.... Huffing and letting his other hand drop, he smiles a little bit wider. "When people talk about cheating on their dates, I never thought _this_ is what they meant," he tells Claude, shyly keeping their hands linked while he can get away with it.   
  
"That's because my version of cheating is far superior."   
  
"Well, I won't argue with you on that front." Taking a knife out from a drawer- just a butter knife, he doesn't think he really needs anything sharper- Dimitri tilts it in Claude's direction. "Bananas. But I'm _cutting_ them."   
  
"Ha ha, aww." Claude lets go of his hand so that he can get to work, something Dimitri can't help but regret even though he knows it's absolutely necessary. "Can we have peanut butter with them? Since you're cutting them to begin with."   
  
"If you'd like." That shouldn't change too much, and it _does_ taste good that way. Dimitri pours them both small glasses of milk, which will go fine with both banana and peanut butter, and they share in carting it all back over to the couch-that's-now-become-a-bed. Dimitri makes sure to bring his pill organizer along with him, the bright colors standing out along what looks like a rather plain line up of snacks.   
  
While he's getting the movie set up, Claude glances over it. "I don't think I've ever seen that many pills stuffed into a container before," he comments once Dimitri returns to the seat. "Let me guess: only two or three are for dealing with the actual schizophrenia and probable depression, and then everything else is just for managing the side effects that come with _those_. Am I on the right track?"   
  
While Dimitri smiles, he also can't help but be a little surprised. Pleasantly so. "That's right. Did you hear about this sort of thing from Raphael, with his sister...?"   
  
"Well, partially." Claude begins to make himself comfortable on the couch, so Dimitri starts to slowly follow suit. "But since you told me about your own schizophrenia, I started to do a little bit of research. I figured I should try to make some effort of my own instead of just harassing you for information."   
  
"I told Raphael he could ask me anything he liked, and that applies to you too, you know."   
  
"Oh, I know." Claude grins brightly at him. "But trust me, I'm so nosy that you'd die first before I was finished with all my questions. I should at least try to ease _some_ of the burden off. So, what's this terrible movie about?"   
  
It's an old Godzilla movie versus one of many questionable monsters in his vast lineup, complete with just as questionable dubbing. It's fun, and silly, and they make it through the vast majority of the bananas in less than half an hour. At some point- Dimitri has no idea when- Claude settles against Dimitri completely with his head resting along his chest. Such a soft little motion, it makes Dimitri's heart ache. He tries to tell himself, when he takes a break to swallow his medication, that he'll be careful moving Claude off of him before they both fall asleep.   
  
Before the episode finishes, however... Well. Dimitri doesn't know which of them drifts off first. The last thing he remembers... is how neatly Claude fits against his own body, and the way their slowing breath matches perfectly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song on Dimitri's Ipod is Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq's "I've No More Fucks To Give" and please imagine Dimitri laying flat on his couch with a dead eyed stare for the full effect. It's a song that fits him perfectly, don't @ me, I'm right
> 
> This Day of the Dead event is actually based off of an event at a place I used to volunteer at. The Springs Preserve over in Las Vegas has a similar event every year, including decorating sweets. When I was helping man a little booth (I think I was selling raffle tickets?), an older volunteer told me to watch out re: the large carpet hanging on the wall behind me, because scorpions would get drawn to all the warmth and might hide behind things like that over the course of the night. 
> 
> Fun!
> 
> I decided to try and be a little faster editing a chapter and getting it out than I usually am (as a note: i am almost about to write chapter 10 falkjdsf so that's how far i am in my actual writing) so that people could have something nice to read during these trying times, but then I looked at the next chapter to go up and was like
> 
> "Oh. Hm. Shit! This is the chapter where they talk about death! I sure wrote this back in January and not March of 2020!"
> 
> so I hope that, like... The conversation Dimitri and Claude have doesn't set anyone off too badly, and that the pre-chapter warning is good enough. The good news is that the next chapter is a much shorter transitional type, kind of meant to handwave time passing and also feature some fun cute moment with the boys and their respective friend groups, and then the chapter after that is a nice long friend date chapter. So hopefully those will make up for this.


	6. gossip gang

"Sooooo, what happened then?" Hilda asks, carefully applying her face mask.   
  
Claude has to pull his razor away so that he can chuckle a little bit and not slice his face open. "We woke up with cricks in our necks after a night of sleeping in the stupidest positions," he tells her before he returns to his careful grooming. This sort of means being bent over a good deal as he makes sure to duck under Lorenz's elbows in order to be near the mirror. The apartment has one bathroom despite arguably being able to host three people, and all three of them have to suck it up and share. "Not that I regret anything, mind you. His chest is _heavenly_. I pray every day for the morning where I can wake up on bare skin after his monster cock has made me forget written language-"   
  
Lorenz abruptly stops plucking his eyebrows. " _Claude_!" he hisses, aghast and scolding in equal measure.   
  
Innocently, he bats his eyelashes up at his dearest friend and roommate. "What?" he asks, with the tone of someone who doesn't even know what the definition of 'sin' is. "Did I say something inappropriate, Lorenz? I'm merely talking about my hopes and dreams for the future. What's so wrong about that?"   
  
Drawing his lips thin, Lorenz wags the tweezers at him. "You know very well what you did. I cannot believe that you would bring up such a subject so early in the morning while we are all attempting to prepare for the day ahead of us."   
  
"Yeah, Claude." Fists loosely clenched, Hilda so innocently holds them up near her face. "I can't believe you'd want to talk about how you want Dimitri's huge dick stuffed all the way down your throat until you can't breathe-"   
  
" _Can we not_!" Both Claude and Hilda burst out cackling at that, leaving poor Lorenz to suffer with his fingers tastefully pressed against his forehead. Oh well. He knew what he was signing up for when he agreed to share a lease with them. While Claude and Hilda are left clinging desperately to anything in the small amount of bathroom they're all squeezed into, Lorenz patiently gets back to tending to his brows. When their howling has finally gone down to some giggling and they can stand on their own feet, he speaks up again. "Are you both quite done?"   
  
Claude winks. "I'll let you know if my sinful urges pop up. Hopefully before they literally pop up." He laughs some more as Lorenz finally gives up any trace of cleaning his face, instead just drawing both hands over eyes.   
  
Recovering from such terrible bullying takes him a minute before he begins to meticulously wash his face. "I will say, from your and Hilda's descriptions of his apartment, I thought he would have more suitable accommodations for guests than merely unfolding his couch."   
  
Waiting for Lorenz to pull away from the sink, Claude begins to clean up his own jawline as well. It takes effort to make sure he doesn't start growing Santa levels of beard. "Honestly, I have no idea what else he has in the other rooms," he muses. "For all I know, he has his own mini gym available to him, although then I can't imagine why he would go out to Captain's." Finishing his rinse, he chuckles. "If I'm lucky, maybe he has a sex dungeon."   
  
"Claude Riegan, I well and truly swear that I shall not tolerate this any longer-"  
  
"So you always say," Claude says, leaning against Lorenz with a wide grin. Lorenz shakes his head, but doesn't push him off. By this point, they're all close enough friends for physical intimacy like this to not be that big of a deal. "But on a more serious note, like I was saying, I have no idea. Maybe some of it is even empty; he _has_ said that he's thought about getting a roommate before. It's just one of those things that he keeps forgetting."  
  
From the side, Hilda sighs morosely. "I wish I could have the freedom to forget a roommate," she says, clipping her nails. She doesn't need to do that in here. All Hilda needs is a room with a trash can. Still, the bathroom has now become a communal activity, and Claude knows she won't leave it for anything. "Then I could have a bathroom where Claude's ass won't threaten to bump me straight into the shower."   
  
Claude waggles his eyebrows at her. "I mean, if anything, you should be grateful that you get such regular opportunities to touch my ass."   
  
"May we please stop talking about Claude Riegan's ass?" Lorenz asks, voice strained and long suffering.   
  
As a response, Hilda blows a raspberry at him. Claude wonders how exactly, if at all, that sort of expression affects a face mask. "Like _you_ aren't the most glad to touch it," she accuses Lorenz playfully, which starts off a whole _Thing_ in the bathroom. It's a lot to deal with first thing in the morning... Or, at least, it would be a lot to deal with if this wasn't practically every other morning with them.   
  
Claude loves it, shamelessly and fully.   
  
Eventually, they all manage to filter out of the bathroom into an existence where they can move without smacking each other. Hilda even makes up for teasing Lorenz too much as she prepares some of his favorite tea, which is enough to put him in a good mood until he's preparing breakfast. If they weren't all early risers for various reasons- Claude because he's an overachiever, Lorenz because he thinks it makes him look good, Hilda because her beauty routine demands nothing less which is just Lorenz all over again- then a proper lunch like this would be difficult. As it is, it's only as difficult as anything else in a morning with three people squeezed to one tiny apartment.   
  
"You know, I do believe we rather got off track," Lorenz says, setting down some waffles in the middle of the table. All three of them get a plate, with fresh fruit right besides. Claude might not add himself to the cooking part of the apartment chore list, but he _does_ know the best places to get deals. It's amazing what some grocery stores will throw out if they're not bought soon enough just because they're a little bruised or not as pretty. "While I am positively _loathe_ to speak of anything crass, I am quite surprised that a simple night over and stiff necks are all that happened. You are certainly not particularly _subtle_ when it comes to what direction your affections have turned towards."   
  
"I _did_ tell him that I like having my hair pulled once," Claude muses as he begins to sprinkle a rather generous amount of cinnamon onto his breakfast.   
  
At the end of the table, Hilda daintily hides a snort behind one hand. Lorenz squeezes his eyes shut. "How on earth did you make a conversation naturally tilt in that direction?" he asks wearily, heaping strawberries onto his own plate.   
  
Claude chuckles. "In my defense?" He points a fork full of waffle in Lorenz's direction. "I've tried to be subtle. It's not my fault that Dimitri is a little... _oblivious_ when it comes to lots of innuendo. I have to be obvious if I want him to know just how much I'm fine with him taking me to bed. And communication is important in any relationship, you know."   
  
Sighing, Lorenz works on his waffles. "I suppose I should thank you that you weren't far worse in that description. I know from _extremely_ recent experiences that you could be." He refuses to even pay any attention to Claude's wink, instead taking another thoughtful bite of waffle. "I do hope that he offered you a suitable breakfast when you both woke up, even if nothing of _that nature_ occurred. It's only the proper thing to do as a host."   
  
And there's one of his favorite things about Lorenz. Beyond all the pomp and strict manners that he'll carry with him to the grave, he really does care so much about people. Claude is certain that if he told him Dimitri had just kicked him out after they both woke up, his friend would be dressed in his absolutely most professional and intimidating clothing to hunt the blond down for a Strongly Worded (tm) interrogation on what on earth he was thinking.   
  
Fortunately, Dimitri might not be Lorenz levels of courteous, because very few people are, but he's still somewhere in the same category. Claude shakes his head with a grin. "Ha. Put down the glove you would slap him with, Lorenz." Leaning back in his chair, Claude takes a fat bite of his waffle and waggles his fork in his roommate's direction. "He absolutely fussed over me that morning, to the point that you'd think he _had_ done something of...." He grins slyly. " _That_ nature." Lorenz rolls his eyes, and Claude laughs again. "In fact, he kept worrying that his cooking would be horrible. I had to reassure him that it all tasted fine."  
  
Hilda hums, already a quarter through her berry medley of a waffle feast. "Just 'fine', huh? So I guess he can't be your house husband, welcoming you home in nothing but an apron."   
  
So that's one way to completely derail his train of thought. Claude briefly entertains the mental image: a novelty "KISS THE COOK" apron stretched across that sinful bit of muscular cleavage, strings delicately stretched across his firm back, the knot done right over the curve of his non-existent ass which makes up for itself with the muscular thighs right beneath... Claude makes sure to snap out of that particular daydream by taking another large bite of waffle.   
  
"Oh, he could still be that if he wanted," he says, grinning around his fork. "But it's just different preferences, I think, and it's not like he was exactly _preparing_ for me to stay the night. We'll see if there's any change on a night he's all ready for me."   
  
"Yes, I suppose he would have a different diet considering all his medications," Lorenz muses quietly. "Well, I shall have to ask him about it should we ever have him over again and he stays long enough for dinner."   
  
Hilda spins her fork around as she chews through her latest bite. "As long as he doesn't stay the night. It's fantastic that he has loads of room at his apartment, but we can barely fit Lorenz through the doorways sometimes. Dimitri is just as tall _and_ he lifts?" She sighs dramatically, shaking her head. "It just wouldn't work, unfortunately for you, Claude. Anyway, so do you two have another date already planned, or what?"   
  
"Well, if you _really_ must know..."   
  
  
  
  
  
"He invited me to go look an exhibition with him," Dimitri says, leaning a bit further into his group of friends as a gust of wind rolls through the park. All four of them barely bat an eye, something he only properly realizes a second afterwards in hindsight. He never thought it was a big deal before... Funny how starting to date Claude has made him take note of so many little things. "It's at one of the museums that helped host that Day of the Dead event. Remembering they have other exhibits going on made Claude curious to see just what's been happening lately and, well, I can understand that desire perfectly."   
  
Leaning back a little bit, hands folded behind his head, Sylvain lets loose a whistle into the cold air. "You know, I never really pegged him as the nerdy type when I first saw him. Still, it really seems to be working out well for the two of you, huh?"   
  
"Frankly, I'm still amazed that it's going fine considering you got involved," Felix comments dryly.   
  
"Hey!"   
  
"I suppose I do have to agree," Ingrid says, working through banh mi she got from a food truck as they've been making their circuit around the park. "I'm still not over it, Sylvain. I mean, if it were _me_ , well, let's just say that accepting your number would have been the last thing I ever would have done."  
  
Sylvain shakes his head, incredulous in a good natured sort of way. "I'm being attacked on all sides, aren't I? Unbelievable." Reaching around Felix and Ingrid, he folds his arm along Dimitri's shoulder in order to lean against him. This manages to have him as a buffer between them and the autumn winds; Dimitri realizes he wouldn't have picked up on _that_ either if he hadn't done the same thing for Claude a few times now. "At least my hard work really helped you out, right, Dimitri? So, besides doing what I did without permission, I'd say it all went pretty swimmingly."   
  
And the thing is.... Dimitri sighs, and still says, "Honestly, he's right."   
  
Felix's nose scrunches up in disbelief and distaste, similar to the way Ingrid crumples her brows together. "Oh, don't give him credit for doing this sort of thing, Dimitri," she says. "You even said how terrible it was to hit on someone while they were working, we all agreed on _that_."   
  
"Oh, no, that part I still think was utterly shameful of me," Dimitri agrees without hesitation. "And, Sylvain? That was definitely not a 'go ahead' from me to be even _more_ brass. But, well... I was beginning to blow it out of proportion. I can acknowledge that much. I was also not addressing the problem, instead trying to run away and avoid it. And that... certainly ended up as a way for me to confront it."   
  
"And I'll never do what I did again, no matter how good an idea I think it is," Sylvain recites, patting Dimitri's shoulder. "We had a talk, you'll be glad to know, Ingrid."  
  
Pausing from where she's finishing off her food, Ingrid blinks up at them in surprise. "Oh, I had thought he must have given you a warning before he unbanned you, but it's good to see that it was deep enough to be called a talk." With her sandwich done with, Ingrid carefully crumples up the paper and dumps it in the nearest trash can. Without a word or even so much as blinking, Felix hands her another one. "I will say, while I know what he looks like, it feels as though everyone has gotten to meet him besides myself." As she tugs the wrapping of her sandwich further down, she smiles up at Dimitri. "You should bring him by the rink some time. I'll be sure to give you a discount."   
  
Sylvain gives a dramatic gasp. " _Ingrid_. Using your employee discount powers for selfish purposes!"   
  
A flush surges over her face almost as fast as her glare. "Oh, you think you're so funny," she huffs, nudging her elbow back into Sylvain's stomach.   
  
Still playing things up, Sylvain stumbles back and slumps against Dimitri's side. "Oh! I've been mortally wounded. She's finally felled me for good. Tell Felix I love him."   
  
Maybe Sylvain has a point in how Felix is hard to get through on these matters, because he only rolls his eyes at the statement. Then again, this isn't the _first_ time Sylvain has played around like this. Dimitri just finds himself feeling bad for both of them. "Hey, Ingrid, did you hear something?" Felix deadpans, tucking his hands away in his hoodie. "I must be missing Sylvain more than I thought after you killed him with your elbow. Sometimes, I can almost hear his voice."   
  
A surprised laugh hops out of Sylvain's mouth, and Dimitri turns his head to the side with his own small chuckle hidden away. "I can't believe you two are ganging up on me," he says, slinging his arm around Felix's shoulder. Felix, in turn, lightly nudges him but doesn't do it so hard that he'd fling Sylvain's casual grip off entirely. "But you're not getting rid of me so easily, Felix."   
  
"You're so ridiculous," Ingrid announces after her latest bite, but she's starting to smile a little bit again. She's still incredibly red, granted, but she's smiling. With Sylvain handled, mostly by Felix, she looks back to Dimitri again. "I _was_ being serious, however. I hardly ever use the employee family discount, with my father living out of town most days of the year... so, honestly, I think it would fit you and your boyfriend Claude much better."  
  
None of them say anything on it, not exactly. Not that they've all known each other almost as long as they've known their own names. Not that they've all, in some combination or another, lived with each other. Not that they've hit their lowest points together, with only one another as footholds back up.   
  
Dimitri simply nudges his arm along hers, and feels how they intertwine in habit.  
  
"I appreciate it you willing to do that, Ingrid," he tells her. Besides them, Felix perks up at the sound of some street musician taking up residence in the middle of the park. He shifts his path in that direction, and the rest of them follow easily enough. There's no real route planned today, after all. "I will admit that I have been worried to some degree. I... wanted to make sure that you would be alright with him." He says the words gingerly, still planning them out in his head and frankly a little worried that they'll come out in the most atrocious manner.   
  
She blinks at him a couple of times. "Be alright with...? Oh." Far worse than with Sylvain, her face blazes scarlet. "Right. Of course. That."   
  
Dimitri coughs into his hand. "Yes, that."  
  
If it were only the two of them, the conversation might really end there and then. A common criticism for both of them has been that they're both inclined to being too.... Stiff. Polite. Especially around only one another, occasionally they'll hit an uncomfortable topic and both immediately veer away from it for varying reasons. The times when they've actually argued with one another or had bouts of unpleasantness have thus always been notable.   
  
For better or worse, they're not on their own today. That means Felix snorts a little bit and comments, "Right, don't be weird and ask to touch his hair or be tonedeaf, Ingrid."   
  
Dimitri can't help but feel a little bad for her. That red stain on her face is clearly not going to be allowed an exit anytime soon. "I only did that _once_ , in _middle school_ , Felix!" she scolds, voice just a little bit high pitched. "How do you even remember that with everything else we've been through together?"  
  
"I think Felix just remembers stupid and embarrassing thing we've all done in our lives," Sylvain muses thoughtfully. "You know, the better to judge us all with."   
  
While he's sure Sylvain didn't mean it.... Dimitri can't help but recall his and Felix's relationship only a few years ago: tempers flaring, the insults, the bitterness tangled together with their loneliness and longing and heartache. Yet glancing from him at the side of his eye, he could almost mistake it for some nightmare or frantic hallucination, because Felix is still here with him as they all walk through the park together. He's still here, smirking a little and with a stare that doesn't quite cut down to the bone.   
  
Something on that painful nostalgia must show on his face, somehow. Sylvain glances at him almost as soon as his words have left his mouth, and Dimitri could almost swear that he sees understanding immediately flicker in his eyes. "Well, that's fine," he continues on, not missing a beat. "The price for that is that _we_ have all of _Felix's_ horrifically embarrassing childhood disasters. Like the time-"   
  
Just a second too late, and dawning horrified aggression begins to ignite on Felix's face. "Sylvain, be quiet."   
  
Sylvain, as is often the case, doesn't be quiet. "-when someone told him that the cat from Homeward Bound was going to die, so he wouldn't stop randomly crying, and Rodrigue went through literally every single pound and pet store for what I'm pretty sure was a million mile radius until he found the exact right Himalayan Cat-"  
  
"You had your warning!" And just like that, Felix whirls around, and Sylvain leaps away with a loud laugh.   
  
Wisely, Dimitri and Ingrid simply step away from both men to continue their conversation. "Sassy lived a really long life, didn't she?" Ingrid says casually, as though there isn't an attempted murder happening literally right behind their backs. "I remember Rodrigue and Glenn got that cat for Felix when we were in elementary school, and she lived all throughout our high school years."   
  
Dimitri quietly notes to himself that they didn't even get to the street musician Felix had shown an interest in. "Oh, yes, she did. Well, he rather adored that cat."   
  
"And she didn't care for anyone but him and Glenn..." Shaking her head, Ingrid takes another bite of her lunch before she remembers their original conversation and hastily swallows. "A-Anyway!" Turning to him, she presses her free hand to her chest as though making an oath. "I _swear_ that I won't make things awkward for you and Claude. I know things were...." She winces. "Awkward, between Dedue and I for a long while... but it's not like that anymore. We get along just fine, nowadays, and I haven't said anything ignorant or terrible."   
  
A pause.   
  
Warily, as though she's afraid of being proven wrong, Ingrid takes a deep breath and asks, "He hasn't _said_ anything to the contrary, has he?"   
  
"I haven't heard anything from him personally, or Annette, Mercedes, and Ashe," he promises her, although he's not entirely sure if he's the right person to answer this particular question. Dedue doesn't like to stress him out with things sometimes. When it's come to relations between him and his other friends, well, Dedue used to be even more reluctant to make him worry. Dimitri hadn't even noticed there was "A Thing" going on between Dedue and Ingrid until Annette had accidentally spilled the beans to him one day because she'd gotten right in the middle of it herself.   
  
Still... Reaching over, Dimitri lightly grips her hand. "Besides... Dedue and all the others invited you over to help with the move, remember?" He smiles. "I know you still worry over how rough things were between you two, but things are better now. Besides, there's Felix." He nods back to where their friends have sprinted out into the grass in Felix's chase. "You know he wouldn't have kept his mouth shut if you had done anything bad recently. You're learning. Doctor Byleth says that's the best anyone can do."  
  
She sighs, and smiles back up at him. "You're right. I just worry." And that's part of why he cares for her so much, Dimitri thinks. He'd been worried that Ingrid would have a problem with Claude, or that something about Claude would set her off.... But this is Ingrid. He's not sure how he could have ever forgotten. She's always trying to improve herself, whether in the things she does or the mistakes she makes. Speaking of which- she grips his arm a little tighter. "But I promise, Dimitri, that I'll be perfectly fine with your boyfriend."   
  
A soft warmth blooms in his chest... and is promptly tossed to the side as Felix rejoins them with Sylvain in a headlock and says, "What you're going to be is late coming off your lunch break, Ingrid."   
  
"What-" Fumbling out her phone, Ingrid checks the time and groans. "Oh, no, I'm going to have to run-" Turning around, she stands on the tips of her toes to give Dimitri a quick hug, and then does the same with one arm for Felix. Sylvain gets a fond ruffle of his hair. "I'll see all of you later, okay?" With her goodbyes given, Ingrid hastily finishes off almost an entire sandwich in what _feels_ like less than a minute. Dimitri has seen her do similar before, but it just... never fails to be impressive. As she begins to run off, she turns to wave at him. "And I meant it, Dimitri! Bring him to the rink sometime!"   
  
Dimitri waves after her retreating form until she's clearly not looking back anymore, disappearing out of sight shortly after. Tucking his hand back into his pockets, he glances down at Felix and Sylvain. Felix still hasn't let go of him. Considering the height difference, it's... quite a sight. A really.... really... dumb one.   
  
"Well," he starts slowly, "I think I might head back to my apartment." He tilts his head towards the two of them. "I did leave some work behind that I want to get done by the end of the day, lest I hold up who knows what else. What do you two plan on doing?"   
  
Still refusing to let go of Sylvain, Felix glances around the park. "Honestly, I might pick up some things for Aegi while I'm out. After that..." He shrugs. "I don't teach classes until later tonight, so I have some free time to waste. I might do some research for my next video."  
  
Sylvain taps his hand against Felix's a few times, finally giving up, and takes a deep breath when he's finally allowed to stand up properly. "Right back to work for both of you, huh?" he asks, sweeping his hand through his hair. "Seriously, you need to lighten up. Dimitri, I know you'll just talk to me about how you work at home-" Dimitri closes his mouth. "-but Felix, come on. You have some time before your shift, so why not relax a little?"  
  
The ensuring bickering over Felix's need to relax takes up the rest of the walk to the street musician, only stopping once they've hit their destination. Things ease up then as they listen, relax, walk around a little more exchanging idle conversation. Eventually, after his phone alarm goes off, Dimitri finally moves to excuse himself. "Be sure to tell me if you convince Felix, Sylvain!" he tells his friends, which earns an eye roll from Felix.   
  
Sylvain simply winks at him, slapping his arm. "Only if you tell me how your next date goes," he says, laughing, before they all part ways. Well, Dimitri parts ways with them. When he glances back over his shoulder, he can still hear Sylvain convincing Felix to let him help with the latest batch of cat groceries.   
  
Well, it's nice to see they're still getting along as well as they ever did. Dimitri shakes his head fondly before he continues his way home. While he's taking the subway, his phone buzzes again, but not with an alarm. Instead, this time, it's simply a text from Claude, gushing about an exhibit that will be available on their date and which has his attention.   
  
Dimitri smiles without meaning to, so affectionate that he almost doesn't know how to go on. So he's interested in this sort of thing as well... Even this little grain of knowledge feels precious, a bit of gold dust for him to store away. So lost in talking to Claude, learning more about this man who admitted to opening up to him, he almost misses his stop. He can't be too disparaging towards himself on the near-mistake, however. Not when he's still smiling.   
  
Their date is going to be fantastic.   
  
  
  
  
  
"The date was fantastic," Claude tells Hilda and Marianne the day right after, digging through the most recent batch of books. They can't exactly be called _new_ , not when Marianne works in a used book store, but some of them might be new to _him_ and that's the important thing. "It was all about a Golden Renaissance in Duscur. I didn't think a guy like Dimitri would know much about that, but he was just _full_ of surprises." He pauses to turn a book around, reading the summary on its back. "You'd like him, Marianne."   
  
Hilda turns to grin at Marianne over the counter. "See, what did I tell you? It's _embarrassing_ how into these dates he's gotten."   
  
"Funny, because I don't feel embarrassed at all."  
  
"Secondhand embarrassment doesn't need _your_ embarrassment, Claude!" Hilda titters.   
  
Marianne glances between both of them, thumbs fiddling with one another. "W-Well... I think that's meant to be a good sign, isn't it?" She tucks some stray hair behind her hair, needing something to do with her hands. "It's been a long time since you've been so serious with a date before... Or, am I remembering incorrectly?"   
  
"No, your memory is spot on, Marianne." He breaks away from his book hunting to wink at her. "But then he's a pretty serious guy in turn. Maybe it's not so surprising that things ended up this way."   
  
Something in the way she casts her gaze away says she has something to say on that, but she refrains. From what Claude has gleaned, her therapy sessions have been slowly but steadily helping her... but some things take time, and he knows that she still occasionally holds back or hermits away again because she thinks her words might not be worth saying. That's not true at all, of course. Just, Claude isn't her therapist. He'll be here for her, and that's all he can do for right now; he's told her as much so many times in the past.   
  
Instead, helping bridge the gap in noise, Hilda shakes her head. "He really is _so_ stiff, I'm impressed that he's the guy out of everyone in this city who snagged your attention."   
  
"What can I say? I guess I'm just weak to vikings."   
  
_That_ has Marianne looking back, eyes wide and brows pinched together. "...Vikings?"   
  
The realization hits Claude and Hilda simultaneously like a trainwreck. "You haven't seen the video!" they exclaim together, Hilda leaning on the counter with both her hands while Claude scrambles up onto his feet.   
  
Poor Marianne. This kind of over the top reaction has her leaning back, hands clenched to her chest. "There's a video of Claude's boyfriend being a viking?" she asks, so _terribly_ confused at what on earth this could possibly mean.   
  
Scooting up onto the counter, Hilda wraps her arms around Marianne with a laugh leaving her lips. Claude slides behind the counter, because no one can stop him, and starts flicking through his phone. "He took this video on their first date," she tells Marianne. "Me and Lorenz had to watch it over and over again for a _week straight_."   
  
That would be something of an exaggeration, honestly. What Claude says, fully serious, is, "And you should be grateful for every one of those seven days, Hilda, considering what a treasure this video is."   
  
He still kind of loves it, honestly. It's well watched on his phone, and he's made sure to save it to his computer, too. He hardly needs any time before it's ready. With a wide grin, he tilts the phone so all three of them can watch it. Dimitri still looks so good despite the fact the video was taken on a crappy little phone camera. His muscles, the way his hair ruffles up along his shoulders, that hot smirk of his....   
  
Great every time.  
  
Granted, it's great for him, _personally_ , for very personal and intimate reasons that dear sweet Marianne absolutely doesn't need to know. That's why it ends with the camera maybe focused a little bit... downwards, on that chest Claude is so grateful that he's gotten to touch a couple of times.   
  
It is, arguably, not great in certain other areas, which is why Marianne slowly turns her head to stare at him. "And... you think I would like to meet him?" she says hesitantly, mouth scrunched up maybe just a liiiiittle bit.   
  
Oh right. Dimitri in a lot of that video wasn't the soft spoken, polite, 'offers his coat to his date and kisses knuckles' gentleman that Claude has seen a lot of in their dates. That video was Dimitri's rare bit of being absolutely feral, the towering six foot something barrel of intimidation that had made people hold their breath when he'd first stepped into the Golden Deer. Granted- Claude still finds that hot and wonders just how else he can make that side of Dimitri surface some more, ideally in bed.... but that's not exactly a _great_ first impression. You know. For normal people. Especially quiet types.   
  
To help amend this oversight, Claude assures her, "That's just him at his most bangable, in my opinion." On the counter, Hilda almost goes toppling off from choking on her own laughter. Claude keeps going without batting an eye. "He's actually a lot more quiet- not too unlike you, really. Maybe I'll coax him over for a visit. I'll even act as chaperone, so you'll feel perfectly at ease."   
  
"A chaperone for your own date?" Hilda teases, wiping tears from her eyes.   
  
Claude grins, tucking his phone away and going back to the books he'd been rooting through. "Hey, there's no law saying that I can't. Anyway, would you believe we've already got another date planned?"   
  
While his back is to her, he can't exactly see what expression Marianne makes, but he can give a fairly decent guess. After all, 'surprised and confused' has been the name of the game for this entire conversation. "Already? That... seems fairly fast, when you both just finished one..."   
  
"Well, there's no point in waiting for the grass to grow under my feet, right?" Claude laughs again before he falls into a more contemplative silence as he looks over the book in his hand. If there's one thing used book stores have plenty of, it's certainly a million romance paperbacks, he notes. All of them dramatic, or with a happy ending. The former, he could do without. But the latter.... He wonders. "And it's easy, you know," he says again, pointedly keeping his voice light, as though this isn't a big deal. "We must click pretty well."   
  
"And all it took was finding a polite viking," Hilda sighs. "Well, that's my break done with." Sliding off of the counter, she turns around to light her hand gently over one of Marianne's. "Anyway, promise you'll eat those pastries I brought, okay? No need to share!" Blowing her a kiss, their favorite menace swans out of the shop doorway in a flutter of pink.   
  
Chuckling, Claude turns back to his book diving. He's already gotten off of his morning shift, and he's in no rush for anything else right now. That's a good thing, considering that there are three different and not insignificant boxes stuffed full of new arrivals. He's barely gotten through one. Yet as he's digging, he can hear Marianne's quiet shuffling move from behind the counter to his side, and she crouches down at the box furthest from him.  
  
Claude doesn't really question it; she _does_ work in the place. At some point she's going to have to start putting all these books away. Yet after she goes through everything in box, cardboard almost completely cleared out, she pauses and fishes something out from the very bottom that's tucked away in the corner. "Um, Claude.... Here. I thought you might like this...?"   
  
It's a book on old war time codes, featuring notable codecrackers and just how they used to do what they did before everything they used became outdated. In other words, it's _exactly_ the kind of interesting historical tidbit he adores reading, and absolutely is the kind of niche thing he'll commit perfectly to memory. A wide grin spreads across his face, and he gleefully accepts. "Oh, Marianne, you know the way to my heart."   
  
"It's not a big deal..." Except she'd gone straight for where the book was hidden, on the very bottom of the box the furthest away from all the others ready to be shelved. That's the action of someone who'd known exactly where to find it.... and Claude doubts that she remembers where she's packed every single book. So, whether she'll admit it or not, he's fairly certain she hid the book away so no one would take it before he could have a chance to.   
  
He's learned better than to make a big deal of things with her. Claude just grins. "Still, what a great find, huh?" With that, he lets her have a little bit of breathing space and starts to flick through the book itself.   
  
On a normal day, that would be the end of it. However, today must not be normal, because Marianne seems to have a rare reserve of confidence. After awkwardly sitting there besides him for a couple of minutes, she finally dares to speak up. "If it's so easy for you... to want to spend so much time with him in comparison to dates you've had in the past... Then, I'll trust you to bring him over. I-If you'd really like."  
  
Claude doesn't look up; he can see from the corner of his eye that she's not making eye contact with him either. Sometimes, to take that step forward, a person has to blindfold themselves. So he'll let her have that blindfold, and just smiles down at the box of books that he's going through. "I really would, if you don't mind. Honestly, I almost think he's liked meeting my friends more than he's gone on dates with me. But then, I suppose it never hurts to have more friends, does it?"   
  
That does get her to smile a little bit, no doubt thinking back to her own days where she'd been so withdrawn before everyone had come together to pull her out of it. It's hard to know how to say no to a guy like Raphael, or wiggle out from Hilda's flattery. "Yes, I.... I suppose it never does. And...." She wrings her hands together. "I think... if, well, it's someone that's made _you_ serious.... Oh, nevermind."   
  
Maybe it's for the better that her own attempt at boldness chases Marianne off with an armful of books to sort out, her face glaringly red on her too pale skin. Claude can't help but feel a little bit flustered himself that he's been called out, and by _Marianne_ of all people. Lorenz is usually too caught up on what's proper and possible or not, which he's done with everyone Claude has dated in the past. Hilda is usually pretty happy to just joke around with him, although that just means she can be absolutely lethal when she bothers to be.   
  
But Marianne? Reserved, highly depressed, sweetheart Marianne who wants to open up her own ranch for senior animals one day? Striking a blow to the fact that he's stumbled so hard into this relationship that he almost doesn't know what to do with himself?  
  
They both get over it, or at least act like they do. Well, to be more accurate, Claude fakes it the most between them as he finally goes up to the counter to pay for the latest acquisition in his library hoard. It's as Marianne is fetching him his change that his phone buzzes with a text, and Claude takes the time to check on it.   
  
He certainly has the time, considering she drops more than a couple of coins and has to go chasing after them. When he sees what's written, he laughs, and Marianne's head pokes up beyond the counter. "I-I'm doing my best-"   
  
"Oh, no, not you, Marianne," he says apologetically, realizing how that must have sounded while she wasn't paying attention to him. "Dimitri just sent me a text. Remember that protest the band did a little while ago? Well, Dimitri took part in it, and he brought a friend with him. He got to hold one of the signs we brought with us, and, well- long story short is that they had to leave a little early, but the friend took his sign _with_ him when he did." Laughter teases at the edge of his voice. "I never really cared to pay much mind after that, but I guess he just, _kept_ it, and, well, see for yourself."   
  
Marianne tentatively leans across the counter as he displays his phone, and, whups, there's that concerned look again. "....He kept the vasectomy sign Leonie made?"   
  
If Claude doesn't stop grinning any time soon, he think he might start to cry, but in a good way. "He sure did."   
  
"Is... Is it legal to have that many swords in his apartment, on his wall?"   
  
"Apparently!" Bursting out laughing, Claude pulls his phone back so that he can type a response to Dimitri. "Don't worry, that's not the guy I want you to meet. It'll only be Dimitri that I bring over." Hitting 'send', he gives her a playful wink. "At least, that's my plan. But you won't be alone. Hilda will be there as backup, I promise." It could even almost be like a double date.  
  
Marianne still doesn't look entirely sure about any of this, but she has his change and she has his book ready to go. "If you say so..."   
  
"Funnily enough, I do." He barely has time to accept his change and book before his phone is buzzing again, and he laughs once more once he reads the miniature essay that's been sent to him. This, also, he shows to Marianne. "Look, he's promising to keep Felix's sword lust away from you too."   
  
It's quite a response, too, way more than would go into a normal text and with that same proper grammar that's apparent in all of Dimitri's replies to him. Watching Marianne, he can see some of the same realization hit her that had hit him, once upon a time: that someone so awkward, so polite, so painfully sweet is also the same kind of person who'd looked so intimidating while almost hauling a lion off its feet with a thick rope. "He seems... nice," she says, and she seems a little more like she believes her own words this time around. "I hope... you really have a nice date, Claude."   
  
That draws out a wide grin from him. "Oh, don't worry on that front. If it's going to be anything like all the other dates we've had with each other... It's going to be _incredible_."   
  
  
  
  
  
"He really is _incredible_ ," Dimitri sighs, leaning back in a church pew, and his words draw out a giggle from Mercedes.   
  
Church and him have a bit of a complicated relationship, one that he doesn't think will ever really ease up. It's just too much, really. Once, he used to think that it didn't matter what his feelings were on the matter, because it was _tradition_ , it was something his family had always done, and once they were gone- well, wasn't it just one more thing he had keeping him tethered to them? How could he abandon that, just because he didn't feel _comfortable_ sometimes?   
  
Yet the Professor and the Doctor had talked him through all of that, convinced him to stop going for even just a month and see how he felt. To say it had been... freeing, even if guilt-ridden, is an understatement. After they'd talked him through the guilt part of it all, well, he's simply never come back. Not _properly_ at any rate.  
  
But Mercedes doesn't have such a terribly complicated history with religion. In fact, it's done so much good for her, and in turn has spurred her to do so much good for other people. Dimitri can't begrudge her that kind of thing. So if sometimes she needs some help at the church by way of moving something for an event, a volunteer who's tall or strong or any combination of the two... Well, Dimitri doesn't mind coming over.   
  
Besides, it's nice to spend time with any of his friends, one on one, and he can appreciate the beauty of churches a little more now that he's allowed himself to step away from it all. There's something serene to sitting with Mercedes as the two of them take a break from where they've been moving various tables and the like, a lunch carefully set between them.   
  
He's not entirely sure what any holy books or priests say on if it's rude or improper to eat in a church. It _feels_ like it should be, but he's long since forgotten a great deal of his learnings when it comes to religion. Mercedes seems to get away with it either way.   
  
In fact, when he'd asked, she'd just smiled and said the Goddess wouldn't want anyone helping a good cause to go without food. Or anyone to go without food at all, in fact, which is the whole reason he's here, considering that the event is meant to help distribute food to those who need it. Isn't helping people more important than the risk of _maybe_ dropping a few crumbs here or there that will just cleaned up by the end of the day?   
  
Dimitri rather likes Mercedes' way of doing religion. Maybe if he'd known her when he was younger, he wouldn't have such a bad reaction to it.   
  
Yet the past is the past, and, here in the present, Mercedes shares with him the large lunch her and Ashe put together for today. "Dedue really likes him as well," she tells him over her sandwich, smiling. "He said he seemed like a trustworthy kind of person."   
  
" _Really_!" That news alone is enough to make Dimitri brighten up. Dedue's approval is the most important thing in the world for him. Dimitri knows he would do a lot of things on his own regardless of Dedue's thoughts on the matter, for better or worse. He has in the past, after all. But... If there's _anyone_ he wants to like Claude, to get along with Claude if he invited his friends and boyfriend over at the same time, it's Dedue. "With how their personalities are so different from one another, I wasn't expecting that."   
  
"It makes me want to meet him all the more," Mercedes says, giggling. "Especially after Annette said she spotted you taking him to your apartment one night!"  
  
Is he going to get struck down for talking about this kind of thing in a church? Is he going to be struck down in general? Dimitri rather hopes he is, with how deeply red his face gets, and he shoves his sandwich further into his face like that's going to help anything. Maybe if he's lucky, he'll choke on it.   
  
But he doesn't, and he's left with the conversation as it is. "I can promise you, Mercedes, that it wasn't like that," he tells her, maybe a little bit strangled.  
  
"Oh, I know," Mercedes says brightly. "You're far too anxious for that sort of thing, Dimitri."   
  
Most people would describe him as 'stiff', or 'proper'. Mercedes really is one of the only people he can think of that would describe it as an _anxiety_.... but she might have a point.   
  
After another bite of their lunch, he sighs. "I can't deny that," he tells her. "We've been seeing each other so much these last couple of months... I take care not to intrude on any time he has put aside for his band, of course, and I'm always careful to make sure that he's fine with the date whether the time chosen for it or that it exists at all... But I don't want to feel too-" He shakes his head, trying to decide on the proper wording. "Do you think I'm rushing this, Mercedes? Even without, well. You know." Mercedes can convince him to talk about a lot, even in a church setting, but it feels far too _crass_ to mention sex just now. Not so explicitly.   
  
She hums around the rim of her bottled water, thoughtful. "You know.... When I first started to date Dedue, I wanted to go see him all the time. Not necessarily for _dates_ , but just to see him and talk with him when I could grab even a minute of his time at the plant nursery, back when we were in school. Me and Annette, why, we'd been together so much as regular friends that, when we started to get romantic with one another, it hardly felt like a real change at all. Dedue was so different, I didn't know what to do with myself."   
  
Remembering those times makes Dimitri smile a little bit. "Yes, I recall. I'd go to see Dedue myself, and I always felt as though I'd be interfering whenever I saw you there."  
  
Another giggle. "It must have felt terribly awkward! But, no matter who was there, I always enjoyed being with Dedue even though other people would be there sometimes, or that it felt as though I was seeing him every day." She leans back, legs stretching out in front of her. "In contrast, it felt like things were much slower when it came to Ashe and I. So, if you really want to know what I think, Dimitri... There's no real _wrong_ way to date. Every love we have for another person is different, and every love doesn't happen the same way as the love which came before it." Dimitri's face heats up at her choice of words, but Mercedes continues. "Do you regret any of the dates you've gone on with him?"  
  
The answer is on his tongue almost as soon as he thinks it. Maybe even before. "Oh, no. Not a single one."   
  
"I thought so. And he's invited you on just as many dates, hasn't he?"   
  
...Ah. Dimitri smiles down at his food. "Yes, he has."   
  
Mercedes smiles back. "And I imagine he's told you much the same as I have. So then that's the form your love has taken, and that's fine. I don't think it's a bad thing, for you two to feel so much for each other, especially when everything about him is so _new_ for you. So... Just enjoy being happy, okay, Dimitri? You're allowed to want that."   
  
The reminder is a little bit of a shock, before he realizes that, too, is true. While he'd been able to hold himself back from getting too worked up about this new relationship for so long, he supposes it was inevitable that he would start to worry. Start to get afraid. The Doctor or the Professor would probably say that it's a good thing that he's been able to go this long before sinking back into his fears and reservations, he supposes.   
  
And, thanks to his friends, he won't sink any further.   
  
"You're right," he tells her, trying to tell his body to relax, that there's no need for him to get tense or worked up. "I've been enjoying my time with him so much, it would be a shame to lose all of that to my own mind. He's just so wonderful, I'm amazed he gave me a chance after the first impression that I made. He's incredibly _bright_ , in every possible meaning of the term. I could talk about him for hours, I think."   
  
Especially with Mercedes, who he doesn't feel guilty doing it with. Not only does she make it so easy to speak with her, reveal his hopes and woes to, but she's also notably not single. Extremely not single, one could say. It doesn't feel like boasting to talk about how amazing he finds Claude Riegan to be.   
  
Indulgently, Mercedes lets him babble for a few minutes while they work through the rest of their lunch together, and then soon enough they both get back to work moving or unpacking boxes. At some point inbetween it all, Dimitri makes sure to catch Mercedes by the arm so that he can give her a grateful smile. "Thank you for letting me take up so much of lunch with my chatter, Mercedes."   
  
He'd only meant to gently take her by the arm. Mercedes takes it a step further, wrapping her arms around him in a brief but tight hug. "I'm just happy that you're happy, Dimitri."  
  
And he knows she means it. As they continue to work, Dimitri thinks on her words, resolves to abide by them. Maybe he doesn't have to hold back so much. Maybe he really can want happiness, and pursue it. Convincing his mind of that is going to have to be a continuous process, an ongoing argument against himself, but... He'll manage.   
  
Certainly, he's managed with the rest of his life. He'll do the same with his romantic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! This is the shorter chapter I mentioned in the notes of the last one. This was actually meant to be a part of what will now be Chapter 7, but I fussed a little that, combined, they made the chapter *too* long. Which I know sounds great to some of you, lmao, but I get finicky on if chapters are TOO mismatched in length. The only reason Chapter 1 was as short as it was being that... It also used to be a part of Chapter 2 before I realized "oh god I can't stop writing". It just so happened that this chunk seemed like it could be decent enough on its own, so that's where I cut them into two. 
> 
> So think of this as just a little transitional chapter before we get going again. I figured people would still be happy enough to get another chapter so soon, ha ha, especially with the times being what they are. The next chapter will be long again, I promise. 
> 
> In slightly related news.... Me and Raile are thinking of collaborating together slightly to make a oneshot connected to V3, going a little more into schizophrenia. This would be for after V3 is done, of course. But for that, I have something to ask of you the readers: are there any questions you have about schizophrenia? 
> 
> Besides people who found the subject near to their heart, I've noticed a few people say "I really don't know anything about schizophrenia", so I thought this could be a good way to spread a little more information about it on a informal level, which Raile agrees with. Don't worry about being potentially offensive in your questions, just come in good faith. Raile says it has experienced so much bullshit that nothing can phase it anyway lmao. As for those more familiar with schizophrenia or other mental illnesses, feel free to just pass along questions you've heard, or things you wish more people knew/heard about. 
> 
> If you're not sure where to start, Raile once wrote this informal 'tutorial' on the schizophrenic spectrum so maybe that will give ideas and, if not, hey, you still read the thing: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15kb7ViuejjXxrl0JEzWzcKPXILkNoBZ86yuoZ1jYar0/edit
> 
> Questions can be about specific symptoms, daily life, relationship, whatever. Hell, ask Raile about Homestuck. I'm not sure how that could relate to schizophrenia, but if you can figure that out, I'll be impressed. 
> 
> Anyway, so that's one of many things planned for after V3 is done! Since I'm collaborating with Raile, that particular fic idea may take a while, and so people can leave questions in their comments wherever. 
> 
> Anyway, that's all today. Thank you for reading, and tomorrow, April 7, is my birthday. I hope everyone stays safe and well.


	7. snowhere to be but together

" _Finally_ , it's stopped snowing," Claude groans, leaning towards the window as he cleans up tables. Not that they really need it. "Of all the times for the weatherman to be right, it was for _this_?"  
  
Granted, it's not the worst snow in the world. In this city, he knows it can get ten times worse, to the point that traffic is hell and power outages happen. While outside clearly shows enough has piled up, sticking to pavement and cement, it hasn't thrown the city into chaos. In fact, the worst of it happened overnight, and all the morning saw was a relatively light fall before it stopped around noon. That doesn't mean Claude was _happy_ to make his way through the snow this morning... And he's still not entirely happy that it still exists outside even now, ensuring that getting home is going to be absolutely hell.   
  
Claude has gotten a taste of it throughout the morning, after all, whenever a customer has opened the front door and unleashed the Ninth Circle into the otherwise cozy shop.   
  
"It really isn't that bad," Ignatz says, which is a damned lie and they all know it. "Don't you think it makes the city look majestic and beautiful?"  
  
"It can look majestic and beautiful _without_ threatening to give me hypothermia."   
  
Leonie, truly a cruel and uncaring coworker who came in a little early before her shift, just laughs at him. "You're being melodramatic," she comments, which may be true but she doesn't have to say it. "Besides, I would have thought that Claude 'Fifty Back Up Plans Before Breakfast' Riegan would see the opportunity in this."   
  
Pulling away from the window, Claude raises an eyebrow at her. "An opportunity? Well, don't keep me in suspense, Leonie."   
  
Turning around on her stool and still cradling her coffee in her hands, Leonie gives one of her pleased grins that Claude can recognize from a mile away. He already knows who she's going to talk about before she says a single syllable. "Well, you know that Lorenz came by early this morning because he was worried that I'd lose power, or something, right? Even though I told him I'd be more than fine. So since I wasn't freezing to death in my cheap apartment, the two of us made hot chocolate, cuddled up together, and, you know... watched the world go still outside my balcony." Taking a sip of her coffee, she tilts her head towards him. "Your boyfriend is the cuddling type, isn't he? He'd probably love it if you asked for something like that."   
  
Well, well, well. Dumping his rag into his bin, Claude muses on that mental image. Dimitri absolutely _would_ love it if Claude asked to come over for something like that. It's stupidly romantic, which he knows his boyfriend has an undeniable soft spot for, _and_ it would involve physical touch, another thing that Dimitri is head over heels about. Of course Dimitri hasn't outright said as much, but it's sort of impossible to miss with how much he's consistently touched Claude on every one of their dates.   
  
Hell, his shift is almost over. He can probably jump in the back, do a quick text-  
  
Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, master of timing, chooses that minute to shove his way through the doors with a bag swinging around his shoulder and excitedly asks, "Claude, do you want to go ice skating?"  
  
Poor guy must be confused as hell that his entrance causes Claude to sink down against a table with his face in his hands, Leonie's surprised laughter the soundtrack to his life. Unfortunately, Claude really can't spare a moment to comfort him. He just drags one hand down his face, groaning. "Is this vengeance for all my hubris?" he asks the empty air, like this is some sort of from the Goddess for not really caring about religion. Or, at least, _that_ religion.   
  
While he can't see it, he can hear the door swing shut, and the way Dimitri politely scuffs his shoes off on the entrance mat before his footsteps come closer. "If I had any context whatsoever, perhaps I could tell you if it was or not," he says. Claude shifts his head to the side, resting his cheek along one hand.   
  
There's perhaps a little tease in Dimitri's voice, because he's slowly come to learn how to recognize it when Claude is overdramatic, but overall he's still concerned. Claude gets why, of course. Dimitri is always worried that something will go over his head, or that he'll misread something, or even that he's not interpreting reality correctly. He's on medication, sure, but some things don't make him stop _worrying_.   
  
Claude puts those worries to ease, reaching over to where his boyfriend has taken a seat, and grips his hand. Seeing Dimitri ease up and smile makes him happy, and that's almost enough to make up for the fact that- "Gods, put me down again, but your hands are _freezing_ , Dimitri."   
  
This time, it's Dimitri who gives a surprised laugh. Out of him it's a reserved chuckle. "I'm sorry. I have gloves in my pocket, but I'm afraid I was far too excited to remember them." Claude can't relate. He'd die if any part of his body was exposed to nature's cruel cold shoulder. Dimitri promptly makes up for his Santa Clause heritage by drawing his other hand to Claude's own, cupping it. Leaning down, he breathes in a huff of hot _hot_ air, and Claude's eyelashes flutter.   
  
Alright. He'll forgive him. So long as- "Keep doing that," he sighs, smiling a little bit. "And what on earth were you saying about ice skating?"  
  
Dimitri smiles and indulgently lets loose another hot breath. It'll lose its effectiveness over time, but that's alright. He looks sweet, this way. "I thought it could be nice to venture out. The weather is perfect for it, and it's fun. I know the perfect outdoor rink as well."   
  
"Dimitri, you realize that I am in danger of freezing a finger off, aren't you? Perhaps even a nipple. What I'm saying is that it's _so damn cold_."   
  
A part of him - small but not insignificant - wonders if perhaps that was too much and Dimitri will be guilty. Fortunately, his lover is sturdier than that. Unfortunately, that means it has Dimitri lean back with a raised eyebrow. "You wear no less than four layers on a good day, including your jacket," he says in amusement. "That's not even taking into account accessories, which I'm sure you have more than enough of. I've seen you wear it all, Claude."  
  
The thing about regularly dating the same guy is that little habits start to get noticed. Claude had never really thought about it until Dimitri, or at least he hasn't thought about it in a long time. Sometimes it's about what his favorite foods are. Other times, well, other times it's Dimitri being quite aware of just how exactly Claude dresses in the face of weather that is even _vaguely_ cold. "Just going to call me out like that, huh?" he asks, amused. "I'll still freeze to death, even with all my many laborious precautions. Also, I don't know how to ice skate. Would that be a problem?"  
  
"I could just teach you, then," Dimitri says, the curve in his smile saying that he'd rather like that kind of intimate moment. Well, Claude has to admit there _is_ some appeal. He's just not sure it's a big enough one. Perhaps Dimitri can spot it on his face, or perhaps he always knew it was going to be a tough sell past all his excitement. Could be a little bit of Column A and a little bit of Column B. Regardless, his smile shifts into something more sheepish. "I know it's a lot... And, if I'm honest, this isn't planned to be a date. Sylvain and Felix are coming as well."  
  
Hmm, that does sort of take a bit of favor off of it, Claude has to admit. He likes Dimitri's friends, but not so much as he likes _Dimitri_. At least, not as much as he wants to soak up every little bit of spare time his boyfriend can give him. The honeymoon phase really is a fearsome thing. "I see," he says, but then Dimitri continues.   
  
"Of course, that means you're also more than free to invite some of _your_ friends." He pauses, clearing his throat and preparing himself for his next sentence. "Especially anyone else who has also never ice skated before and can share in your dilemma."   
  
Nevermind! He's been twisted right back again to his starting position with a spin like that, and Claude laughs. "Misery loves company, huh?" he asks playfully. Alright, he has to admit he can see the appeal. Being new and terrible at something is one thing. It's entirely something else to be new and terrible with _friends_. With friends, at least they can all laugh about it.   
  
Dimitri is grinning right back at him, clearly pleased that he's managed to win a point in his favor. "Exactly. We _also_ plan on going to a Korean barbecue-"   
  
" _Dimitri_!" Claude groans in defeat, rolling his head back and grinning up at the ceiling.   
  
Not letting up in the way he's absolutely twisting Claude's arm, Dimitri keeps going. "-and I wouldn't mind paying for _both_ our shares." When Claude looks back at him, the blond is very clearly trying not to be _too_ obviously pleased in his smile. He knows what kind of fantastic offer he's giving him, the bastard. "That would be a rather nice way to warm up afterwards... don't you think?"  
  
"You're so attractive when you remember to be cunning," Claude informs him seriously, making Dimitri duck his head with a chuckle. "What incredibly effective bribery. I can't believe it."  
  
Dimitri glances up from beneath his eyelashes, still smiling- a little pleased, a little bashful, a little teasing. "I am more than a pretty face, you may be surprised to know."   
  
_Shit_. Claude tosses his head back for another laugh, delighted that this is the same overly polite and scowling figure that had once stepped to the front of his counter. "And so you are!" he concedes, grinning back. Dammit. Damn! He's in such a good mood, he can't believe he's being convinced into this. Free Korean barbecue and his boyfriend being stupidly cute and funny. The world is really out to get him, isn't it? "Alright, fine, fine."   
  
That makes him perk up faster than anything. "Really?"   
  
Sliding his hand out of Dimitri's, and silently bemoaning the lack of warmth, he grins. "Let me hop into the group chat for me and my friends. If I can rope in a few people, yeah, why not? I'm not above taking advantage of free food. So where are we theoretically skating?"   
  
Dimitri gives him the address, Claude types it into his phone once he takes back his bin, and he's hardly put everything away before messages are popping up. "Looks like you win this round," he announces when he steps back into the store proper. "Hilda says she was looking for something to do with Marianne anyway, and Lysithea is considering it." Everyone else has said they're busy so far, but Claude is fine with that. Dimitri is only bringing over a few of his friends too, after all.   
  
At some point when Claude disappeared into the staff rooms, Dimitri and Leonie got wrapped up in conversation on something to do with Captain's Gym. At his words, however, Dimitri looks up with a pleased grin on his lips. "That's excellent news, then. Was Lysithea a part of the band when it was performing?"  
  
Right, right, one of many of Claude's friends that Dimitri hasn't met yet. Although, he's surprised to realize in hindsight, that number is dwindling faster by the day. "Yeah, but she's something of a short stack," he says, winking. "So you probably missed sight of her. Well, we'll fix that today, apparently. Anyway, I still have to stick around for ten minutes or so. No rush, right?"  
  
"Actually," Ignatz intervenes, "do you want to leave your shift early, Claude? It's been a rather slow day, and I can't imagine it picking up until around five... I don't think anyone would object to that."   
  
Leaning back on her stool, Leonie smiles as well. "Besides, I'm here. I don't mind picking up any slack that might happen, so long as Ignatz might let me." Their coworker gives a sheepish smile, shrugging. "But he's right- I really doubt that we're going to have a particularly busy day. So go have fun with your boyfriend, Claude."   
  
Dimitri blushes, a prettier and deeper sort of pink than the flush of winter exertion he'd been wearing when he first stepped inside. Claude only grins, himself. "Well well well.... What generosity! Thanks, guys, I'll be sure to pay the two of you back sometime." Probably in the form of picking up an emergency shift, or maybe paying for lunch one day. It's a little thing, so he probably really only needs to do something about the same in return... But he really does appreciate when they make offers like this without him having to spare a thought on if he should ask in turn.   
  
"Then- I'll get a warm drink for the two of us while you get your things," Dimitri tells him, getting up onto his feet. "It should help make the trip a little smoother."   
  
Lazily, Claude waves his hand through the air dismissively. "Oh, just get something for yourself. I'll take full advantage of you later tonight-" The teasing innuendo absolutely goes over Dimitri's head, and he can't help but be fond of the blank and polite smile at his words. "-but I can use a little employee discount of my own here. Just give me a quick second, 'kay?"  
  
In the Golden Deer, "employee discount" means raiding the hot chocolate stores for a quick warm drink that won't be missed. On the corporate level, it's probably not allowed. However, what corporate doesn't know won't kill them, and the actual employees on the ground floor are good at not being too obvious about it. If a single little packet of hot chocolate goes missing, it's not the end of the world. Even their manager agrees, bless her soul.   
  
By the time he's got it all heated up and ready to go in a paper cup for the road (or the subway, more likely), Dimitri is also ready with a drink of his own. Once Claude has stepped closer, his nose picks up on enough to gather that it's one of their eggnog concoctions. Hey, if it's the season.... Settling besides him, Claude grins up at Dimitri. "Ready to go?"   
  
Dimitri returns the expression. "Absolutely." Looking back to where Ignatz is waiting and Leonie is prepping things behind the counter, he gives a polite nod. "I hope things go well for you two. Have a good day."   
  
Giving a little salute, Claude's grin is brighter and less restrained. "See you guys later! Next week I'll bring donuts!"   
  
All his good cheer and general playfulness vanishes the second they step out into the snow. Claude complains about it all the way to the subway entrance, until Dimitri finally curls his arm around him to tug him close. It's not an _instant_ fix, but it's good enough until the gathered heat of the subway tunnels washes over them.   
  
Claude recognizes the area the ice skating rink is in, although he's never visited it during the winter season. Or, you know, the autumn season. Really, any season where it starts to get cold, and he restricts his outdoor activities to what he really only _needs_ to do. But it's one of the biggest parks in the city; there's no way anyone wouldn't be at least passingly familiar with it. Claude himself can remember passing through it on nicer spring days, and he knows for a fact that he's performed here during the summer ones.  
  
On those spring and summer days, there's a decently sized little building near the pond which sells a variety of pre-packaged people food (sandwiches, salads, sushi) along with much fresher duck food (lettuce, corn, pellets). Claude had never bothered to think about it, but that business model changes along with the seasons, apparently. One window still seems to be selling food, although business doesn't appear to be as booming as during the warmer months. The other window, the one which used to sell duck food, is completely different, signs and all. Now, there's a sign cheerfully saying it rents out ice skates.   
  
A blond woman is manning the window, and she immediately starts to lean out of it with a cheerful wave once she sees Dimitri coming up. "Dimitri! I'm so glad that you could make it."   
  
Adjusting the bag around his shoulder, Dimitri leans up on the tips of his toes to give her a rough approximation of a hug. It's a little hard with the window counter in the way, but both blonds seem determined to make it work. "The weather is so nice, I wouldn't have missed this for anything." Which isn't the description Claude would have used. Damn human-shaped icicles.  
  
It makes her laugh, at least, and Claude redirects his gaze to focus better on her. He's already pretty sure he can recall her from social media diving on Sylvain's page, because at one point he had thought she was Dimitri's sister for a long while. Now, after talking with Dimitri, he's pretty sure that's not the case.   
  
In the time it takes for her to look over to Claude, he's already remembered what her name is before she even starts to say, "It's nice to finally meet you. My name is Ingrid Galatea." She offers a polite smile and her hand outstretched past the counter. "I hope the subway wasn't too crowded on the way here."   
  
She seems nice enough, and Claude smiles right back as he shakes her hand. "Oh, no more inhumanly crowded than it is any other day of the year. So, you're our hook up to ice skates, is that it?"  
  
"Well, I suppose it's more for _your_ ice skates," Dimitri says, and lifts up his bag by the strap. "I have a personal pair, you see."   
  
"What kind of person has a _personal_ pair of ice skates?" Claude bemoans playfully, knocking the side of his head against Dimitri's arm.   
  
Against his back, he feels Dimitri's hand rub idle circles. The effect is a little bit lost, with how thick his jacket is, but Claude appreciates it regardless. "It's fairly common, I thought," Dimitri says, although in the kind of subtly unsure tone where someone hasn't done any sort of research and so can't be fully certain.  
  
"Since I'm getting a free dinner tonight, I guess I can fork over the cash necessary for skates," Claude says, reaching into his coat for his wallet. It's going to take a few seconds for his clumsy and gloved fingers to get a proper hold of it, so he asks Ingrid, "It's $8.50, right?"   
  
Ingrid has been watching his exchange with Dimitri, in a way that feels faintly familiar. If Claude had to make a guess right off the bat, in fact, he would compare it being similar to how Dedue had watched him at the gym. At his question, however, she jolts up. "Oh! Right- actually..." Reaching up, she sweeps back some stray strands of blond behind one ear. "I have an employee discount that I can use for you, if you'd like. That would make it $5.50 instead."   
  
Somehow Claude has a feeling in the back of his head that it's less for him, the guy Ingrid has just met, and more for Dimitri, her friend that she's apparently close enough with to hug at work. There's no real evidence for that, however, and he's a sucker for a good deal. Why look a gift horse in the mouth? So he grins, pulling out his wallet. "I would definitely like, if you're going to be offering that generosity my way."   
  
In the interest of convenience, there's a small little sheltered space on the side of the building kept clear of snow with a few benches, along with a separate window for exchanging shoes and skates. That's where Claude goes for his skates, tying them on, and that's where Hilda and Marianne find him soon after. "Oh, I'm so glad that you're here," Hilda says with a relieved sigh. "I thought me and Marianne were going to be the first ones, and that would just be the _worst_."   
  
"Yes, yes, instead I'm the one who's had to suffer in the cold the longest," Claude says, amused, before he gives Hilda a one-armed hug as she leans down for him. "But look on the bright side, now your schedule is filled for the day." When they pull apart, Claude looks over and finds Marianne hanging back just a bit further in the snow. Her and Dimitri are staring at each other, awkwardness radiating off both parties so much that it could probably fill the whole park. "Oh, right," he says casually, tapping Dimitri's elbow with one hand while the other gestures to Marianne. "Dimitri, Marianne. Marianne, Dimitri. Try not to out-anxiety each other."  
  
That makes Marianne startle a little bit, and she hastily trots closer to the rest of the group. "Oh," she stutters out. "I'm so sorry, I must have come off as ghastly-"   
  
Dimitri is on his feet at approximately the same time, having managed to put on his skates long before Claude and thus makes what should be a normal movement rather impressive. "No, I was the one staring, it was absolutely wretched of me-"   
  
What happens next is an exchange of apologies and embarrassment, like two dogs going in circles around each other. Hilda settles down besides him on the bench, just as fascinated in her watching as he is. "This is incredible," she whispers to him, reaching for her wallet without taking her eyes off of Dimitri and Marianne. "I didn't realize just _how_ nervously polite he was until now, and we've had him in our apartment."   
  
Claude laughs a little under his breath. "Well, just look at Marianne. She would set off anyone's most protective and contrite reactions. He was dying when he thought he was intimidating at me even when I didn't react at all. She must have killed him on impact. Ah-" He clicks his tongue. "There we go, he's taking the initiative now." Something about his own phrasing has Claude pause, and it must do the same for Hilda, because they both look at each other at the same time. Matching grins spread across their faces.   
  
Hilda starts first, hiding her giggles behind one hand. "And there we see the male awkward hermit begin to display a paternal instinct, likely born as a result of not Giving Any to his mate."   
  
Snickering back, Claude continues. "Such cold and snow-filled locales are beyond the usual territories of the socially anxious lesbian, and so her familiarity with awkward gay hermits is limited but not wholly unfamiliar. You can see such experience in the way she doesn't immediately retreat, with her movements wary but not evasive."   
  
There's no time to do any further nature commentary. Both of them fall silent as Dimitri and Marianne finally seem to come to a sort of agreement, with Marianne actually giving a tentative _smile_ at whatever Dimitri just said. Right now, however, she turns to the people she's actually known for longer than three minutes. "We weren't late, were we?" she asks, a little worried. "If we kept you waiting..."   
  
Straightening up, Claude just laughs. "Hey, you're here before Dimitri's friends are, and I'm pretty sure that he told them before he roped me into all of this," he says, smiling. "And Lysithea is supposed to show up as well."  
  
Speak of the tiny sugar-obsessed devil, and lo, she appears less than five minutes after Claude has said her name. Introductions are far less awkward with her, her own bossy nature making it a steamroller of a process next to Dimitri's quiet politeness. Then, a little after, Sylvain and Felix make their arrival, with the former exclaiming, "How on earth do you get surrounded by girls _after_ you've started dating!?"  
  
Which is sure one way to introduce yourself, Claude supposes, and it's one hell of a conversation starter besides.   
  
As it turns out, Sylvain and Felix are _also_ the kind of weirdos who have their own ice skates. Claude can't help but wonder if it's a common denominator in Dimitri's entire friend group. There's an unexpected bonus to that, however: there are now _three_ jock-types who can help the rest of them out when it comes to things like the proper way to tie ice skates and instruct how to walk to the rink in them.   
  
Not that Claude let's that stop him from clinging to Dimitri the entire short distance there, holding on tighter than sticker residue on a plastic cup. Lysithea is the only one of their group that feels confident enough to walk on her own, precious overachiever that she is. Finally, they hit the ice, and.... Yeah, no, Claude continues to cling. It's his boyfriend, so he feels perfectly justified in doing so. "I feel like I'm going to break an ankle, crash through the ice, and freeze more to death than I already am," he mutters, staring warily down at his own feet. He's already regretting this.   
  
Off to the side where he's already let Hilda go off into the wild and icy unknown, Sylvain laughs. "So this is the thing that shakes your confidence, huh?" he teases.   
  
"I'll make sure to drag you down into the depths with me, Sylvain," Claude promises with a smile.   
  
"No one is drowning in frozen city pond water," Dimitri promises. "In fact, no one is crashing through the pond, or crashing at all." And then he smiles down at Claude, that sweet and earnest smile that's gotten him every single time since that late afternoon in the zoo parking lot. "Especially not you, not while I'm here."  
  
It's a very cute and sweet declaration, which Felix Fraldarius decides to promptly ruin with the dry comment of, "Can you two keep that sort of overly romantic nonsense down until I'm on the other side of the rink?" He has his own arm wrapped around one of Marianne's, keeping her upright as they make their way out onto the ice. She's still more than a little awkward, but, in comparison to Claude's wariness of the ice, she seems more focused on the spitfire responsible for her balance.   
  
Something about Felix's comment and perhaps the scene at large makes Sylvain glance back over at all of them, and he starts to laugh. "Man, can you imagine if this were a regular date?" he asks, amusement dripping off of his voice. "Or what this must look like to other people? Once Ingrid joins us, we'll have an equal guy-to-girl ratio. People might almost think we're _straight_ if that happens."   
  
"Ew," say Hilda and Claude together, which only makes Sylvain laugh harder.   
  
"Your sense of humor is godawful as always," Felix informs him with a curl of his lips before he looks to Marianne. "Ready now?"  
  
Marianne doesn't exactly _look_ ready, but then Hilda sort of wobbles in place until they catch up. She beams to Marianne, offering her hand to the other woman. "Don't worry, Marianne! Like, I'm doing _terrible_ here, so I'm sure you won't do worse than me! C'mon."   
  
"I'm sorry for being a bother," Marianne tells her, but there's a small smile on her face as she accepts Hilda's hand and detaches from Felix's side. They make quite a sight as they wobble off together- although Claude suspects that Hilda's wobbling has been pretty inconsistent and he's almost positive she's told him about ice skating before.   
  
Looking pretty pleased with herself, Lysithea smirks back at Claude. "You're going to fall behind, Claude," she tells him. "It's not that hard. If you don't hurry up-" Claude is pretty certain that she could keep going, with her bitterness about how, for ages, he teased her about being 'so young' and _especially_ teased her for being so short. Her ability to hold a grudge is almost as impressive as her lack of height.   
  
Yet before she can really get into it, Felix suddenly blazes past her with unbelievable ease. "Eyes up front, kid."  
  
Claude can _literally_ see the flames of fury ignite behind Lysithea's eyes. "I'm not-!" she starts, but it's too late. In the blink of an eye, Felix is already scores ahead of every single one of them. It's a weekday, with no schools on vacation just yet, and not late enough in the afternoon for a lot of people to get off their shifts. That means there aren't too many people here, at least not in comparison to a true rush hour, and Felix expertly weaves his way past all of them without losing speed. That he's _really_ quite good only seems to infuriate Lysithea all the more, and she turns back towards them fuming. "Who is he again?" she demands.   
  
"Ah," Dimitri says, already sensing doom about to happen. Claude doesn't stop grinning toothily. "That's Felix Fraldarius. I apologize about him-"   
  
Lysithea doesn't care about his apologies. Instead, she does indeed put her eyes up front and try to push herself faster. Unlike Felix's smooth and practiced movements, Lysithea is an amateur in comparison, but that doesn't seem like it's going to stop her from trying to catch up.   
  
"This is going to be great," Claude 'Tormented Lysithea For Years On Being Short' Riegan says.   
  
Sighing, Dimitri quietly adjusts Claude's posture from where he's clinging. "I think he was actually trying to help. When you're on a public rink like this, you have to take care that you don't crash into anyone else. We _are_ wearing somewhat dangerous footwear. However, it's just..."   
  
Slowing down long enough to be on Claude's other side, Sylvain grins. "Felix has all the social graces of a stray cat stuck in your window at two in the morning with a lizard stuck in his mouth, that he then drops into your living room and blames _you_ for losing it."   
  
Has Claude mentioned that he loves Dimitri's friends? He absolutely adores them. They're the kind of trashfires where he's sure he'll have a new story from them every week. He lets loose a laugh. "Well, Lysithea only in the last year has stopped promising to kill me for teasing her on looking so young, and we've known each other for five years now. Felix has made an enemy for _life_ now." Following Dimitri's unspoken directions in correcting his posture, he watches Felix actually _spin_ around a parent and their kid, ponytail fluttering in the wind. "Although I have to say, I'm amazed at how _good_ he is. I mean, clearly you're all weirdos who have traits like not hating winter-" Sylvain snickers. "-but even I can tell he's above and beyond that sort of thing."   
  
Dimitri chuckles. "Yes, well. When we were teenagers, ice skating was rather popular in our area of town. Sylvain, Ingrid, and myself all got into hockey, which wasn't too unusual. However, Felix, well... Felix decided he would go for something a little more... complex?"  
  
Sylvain laughs. "Apparently he caught sight of someone's routine one day when we all went to the rink as kids, and thought that seemed _far_ more challenging. Personally, I think he just realized you could put blades on your feet and decided he had to be perfect at it."   
  
Well, when he puts it that way, Claude has to laugh too. "Truly his love for weaponry of all sorts is _impressive_ , although that's just one word for it." Poor Lysithea. She's going to be chasing after him forever, and enraged with every pass he makes. Well, she's an _adult_ now, as she likes to remind everyone. He's sure she can handle it, and her likely defeat. For now, he grins up at Dimitri. "Well, enough about all these third wheels."   
  
"Wow," Sylvain deadpans, still laughing a little.   
  
"I hope you're ready for your entire afternoon to be taken up with teaching someone how to ice skate," Claude continues. "I'm pretty sure that's the amount of time you're going to need, judging by my progress so far."  
  
Instead of his usual tentative little smiles, Dimitri actually dares to give him a playful grin. "Oh? And who's to say that wasn't my intention in the first place?"  
  
"Alright, I'm following Felix's example," Sylvain laughs, speeding away.   
  
Despite Claude's words, it's actually not as difficult as he plays it up to be. Part of that is simply the activity itself being relatively easy to get used to after a little while. Another part of it is that Dimitri seems to have experience in teaching people how to ice skate. Or maybe he's just a natural? Claude files it away in his list of things to talk to Dimitri about whenever they have some spare time. Either way, some fifteen minutes after they've gotten onto the ice, and Claude can finally skate on his own without threatening to lose his balance and hit cold slippery ground.   
  
Of course, if he wants to is an entirely different story.   
  
"Holding hands is just enough of a couple activity," Dimitri says, trying to convince him, and Claude makes a face.   
  
"But I'm _cold_ , and _dying_. Have some pity in your heart, Dimitri-"  
  
The two of them could probably go on for another five minutes, to the revulsion of their friends (although Marianne seems openly happy about it, Claude supposes), but they're soon interrupted. Harsh scraping signals blades on ice fast approaching from behind, and, soon enough, Ingrid is right besides Dimitri with a bright smile. "It looks like everyone's having fun," she observes.   
  
Dimitri smiles right back. "We've been managing, although Felix has managed to make a mortal enemy already," he chuckles. "It looks like you were able to get off in time. No last minute rush, huh?"   
  
She heaves a sigh of relief, one hand to her chest. "No.. Not like last week, thank goodness. Anyway, what did he do this time?"  
  
Claude winks. "Oh, he just teased one of my friends on a sensitive topic for her, although I doubt he even realized what he did. To add insult to injury, he's just too good. It's gotten her competitive nature all fired up. Now, me, I'm perfectly content just clinging to a tall, muscular, extremely attractive man and letting him cart me around the rink."   
  
There Ingrid goes again, eyeing him in that quietly thoughtful way as if she's trying to remember something. At least she's aware that she's doing it, because she hastily looks away when she thinks Claude might notice. (Too late, he already has.) "I'm honestly surprised. This isn't even him _really_ showing off," she says. "Although I guess he _is_ being thoughtful in his own way, since that might get in the way of the other skaters."   
  
Oh, his curiosity is chomping at the bit, now... and maybe if he gets a suitable distraction going on, he can get Dimitri to keep holding onto him for a little while longer. So he waits until Felix is completing his latest circuit before calling over to him. "Hey, Felix!"   
  
Felix perks up at the call of his name, slowing down his breakneck speed. Behind him, Claude can faintly see Lysithea trying to catch up in a way that hints she might tackle him to the ice once she gets close enough. Such danger is something Felix appears to be completely ignoring, slowing down before he twists around their small group.   
  
Now that Claude is paying attention instead of trying not to slip, he can recognize how Felix is expertly using the change in angles to slow his speed instead of just being fancy. "What?" he asks simply, before eyeing Claude and Dimitri. "If you start being disgustingly romantic again, I'm leaving."  
  
Such a charmer. Claude is more amused than insulted, however, and he winks playfully at the other man. "No worries, I'll spare your sensibilities and keep things rated E for Everyone," he says. "But Ingrid says you're even better at skating than what you've been showing off so far. Mind giving us a little bit of a show?"  
  
"Am I getting paid for this?" Felix asks dryly, which makes Claude laugh again. "Although if you want a real show, you're going to stop being a leech and let go of the boar again."   
  
Ugh. Not only is this is so very unfair, because now he has two things he wants to ask some questions about, but this plan has backfired on him. He wanted an excuse to keep a hold of Dimitri longer, not relinquish him. But... Claude goes for the reason he started this whole conversation in the first place, curiosity too powerful to be denied. "Is he telling me _you_ know how to figure skate?" he asks Dimitri, amused and intrigued.   
  
"Technically, all four of us do," Dimitri admits sheepishly.   
  
"Felix effectively _bullied_ all of us into taking a few classes when we were younger, and then never really let go of us after that," Ingrid says, hiding her smile behind one hand.   
  
Felix scoffs. "I didn't _bully_ anyone," he says. "You all could have said 'no' if you really wanted." Sylvain happens to skate by at around this time, and bursts out laughing so hard that he needs to make a hard break to the side so that he can get a grip on something. Felix glares at him all the way there. "At _any_ rate," he continues, scowling, "the boar is the best at lifts."   
  
"You can _lift_ people? On _ice_?" Claude needs to see this. He needs to see this yesterday. If he were better at skating instead of 'barely passing', maybe with a little bit of formal training tossed in, he knows for a fact that he'd ask Dimitri to do it to him, but he's thirsty, not stupid. That's just asking for someone to get injured.   
  
Instead, he's perfectly fine with watching Dimitri do this to someone else, if it means getting to bask once more in just how ridiculously strong he is. Claude's seen his boyfriend beat lions at a game of tug of war, and watched as he lifted friendly living tank Dedue off of his feet... But he's always delighted every time. The ice just makes this a bigger challenge.   
  
Dimitri rubs the back of his neck. Unlike Claude, he doesn't care enough about the cold to wear a hat, and his hair crumples up in his fingers. "Felix wanted to see if he could manage it with any of us," he sighs. "I warn you, it's not very professional. _I'm_ not the one who regularly keeps up on my figure skating practice. Or figure skating much at all, really." He shakes his head at Felix. "Why does this always happen with you?"  
  
"Blame your boyfriend," Felix says dismissively.   
  
Claude winks. "I'll accept the grave responsibility of seeing you being incredibly strong and handsome."   
  
Making a disgusted noise in the back of his throat not unlike a cat discovering water for the first time, Felix glares at Dimitri. "Did I just get roped into a flirting thing?" he asks, fully offended.   
  
This time, it's Dimitri's turn to be dismissive as he coolly raises an eyebrow. "You're the one who said you needed a partner," he points out before he looks down at Claude. "The least I can do is warn people out of the way just in case. Which means you really _will_ have to let go now, you know."   
  
Sighing, Claude finally unwinds his arms from around Dimitri's to skate on his own. He still feels a little unsteady, but he suspects that's going to be a regular occurrence unless he's on an ice rink every other day.   
  
"The things I sacrifice for a good show," he bemoans. "Very well, go make sure that no one gets sent to the hospital. Especially yourself, honestly." Dimitri seems fairly confident in his ability to ice skate, especially if he's not too worried about having to pick someone up while doing so, but still. Claude would feel like more than a slight asshole if Dimitri got hurt for this.   
  
But Dimitri only smiles at him before he and Felix skate off ahead of their group. While they go to talk to some of the various skaters, presumably asking them to move slightly closer to the edges, Claude takes stock of which of their combined friend groups are near. Ingrid, of course, is right next to him, which has him noting that she's giving him an odd little look not too unlike when her brain needs a second to process something. Wondering what's up, he asks, "Did I say something wrong, or are you just admiring my good looks?"   
  
Ingrid starts, in a way Claude somehow feels doesn't entirely have to do with him speaking up, and promptly shakes her head. "Oh, no- I was just remembering something."  
  
Before Claude has a chance to subtly and casually interrogate her on just what she's remembered that connects to him, Lysithea finally manages to catch up- to him anyway. Her cheeks are a rosy pink after trying to catch up with Felix, a goal she's yet to reach. "What are they doing now?" she asks, huffing and puffing from exertion.   
  
Oh, she's going to hate this news. "Getting ready to show off more," Claude says idly, watching as Dimitri finishes talking to the parent and child duo Felix passed by earlier. Only, instead of just skating off, he smiles down to the kid and slowly lowers himself down so that he's crouching down while still letting the momentum on the ice carry him. Claude has no idea what Dimitri says, exactly, only that it makes the kid laugh and Dimitri is smiling when he straightens up to skate properly.   
  
So he's the kind of guy who loves kids. Duly noted.   
  
Lysithea grumbles at his side, dragging Claude back to the present moment. "There's going to be no way to beat him at this particular thing, is there? Well, I'm a mature adult. I know when to let a grudge go."   
  
"Oh, so you're going to get your revenge on him in a different way later?" Claude asks innocently.   
  
"Claude-!"   
  
"It looks like they've got plenty of room now," Hilda comments, still going slow enough with Marianne that it was only a matter of time until Claude, Ingrid, and Lysithea all caught up to her. She's right, too. A combination of the park pond's size, a small enough group of people on the ice in general, and the guys' efforts have netted them a decently sized circle of empty space smack dab in the middle of the rink.   
  
Both of them are skating the perimeter of the circle, testing out their limitations as far as Claude can tell. While the park pond is decently large, Claude can still hear Dimitri call out to his friend. "I would truly appreciate it if you could keep your feet below my shoulders, Felix. I'm already missing one eye."   
  
"Just handle me right, and you won't have to worry."   
  
Hilda is doing her absolute best not to fall apart laughing, considering that she's on ice skates and responsible for helping keep Marianne upright... but it's clearly a hard fought battle she's going through, her hand over her mouth. "Do _either_ of them realize how suggestive that sounds...?"  
  
"Absolutely not," Sylvain says, finally having caught his breath from his own cacklefest and rejoined them all again. Claude can't help but quietly feel relieved that everyone is automatically adjusting to not rush past Marianne's own cautious speed, because, frankly, he doesn't feel as though he can really go that much faster despite his confidence in staying upright. "They've been like this for over a decade, by now, and they're not going to change anytime soon."   
  
Claude whistles. "That long, and they're utterly oblivious?"   
  
"Yep. It's almost kind of impressive, isn't it?"   
  
There's not much more time to make fun of Dimitri and Felix's homoerotically charged friendship. Both men finally seem comfortable with the space they have, spiraling in towards the center. Claude had asked for a show, and Felix seems fairly obliging as he actually starts to twist, spin, and even jump along the ice with the kind of triumphant smirk of someone who's dragged themselves through a lot of practice to get where he is.   
  
Dimitri is far less interested in doing anything fancy. All he does is follow along, occasionally twisting on the ice in order to keep his eyes on Felix. His time to shine finally comes along when Felix glides near, and Dimitri suddenly grabs onto him, twirling him around with Felix right off the ice, before he sets him down again. It's not a particularly fancy maneuver, and doesn't even last more than a couple seconds, but Claude can still appreciate it for how difficult this all is. Look at him, for example.   
  
Indulgently, Dimitri does a few more lifts for Felix, including a moment where Felix actually leaps at the blond and gets drawn right into a dip that has his skates a little closer to Dimitri's head than Claude thinks _he_ would ever be comfortable with on either end. As the pair continue to mess around, he becomes aware of rustling to his side, and finally tears his gaze away.   
  
Ingrid is undoing her own jacket, eyes sparkling, and Sylvain looks down at her with a laugh. "Can't sit still, huh?" he says.   
  
"Oh, hush." But she's smiling back up at him. "It's just been a while since I've gotten to practice with a partner."   
  
"She says, probably having practiced on her own every day after work since the rink opened up."  
  
"Listen, out of everyone here, I would expect you to understand taking advantage of a good opportunity!" But then Ingrid slides her coat off, and Claude can hear Hilda's small noise of intrigue followed by Marianne's own little gasp. Much like her friends, Ingrid also the type of person who doesn't believe more than two layers is needed for a light snowy day. Instead, she wears a simple turtleneck and, well.   
  
Look. Claude is bisexual, with his dating history simply often including men- including Dimitri at present. But he can appreciate an attractive woman when he sees one. More importantly, he can appreciate an attractive woman with _muscles_ , and there is absolutely no doubt that Ingrid has more than enough of _that_. Her turtleneck is tight, clinging to her body and not leaving much to the imagination in the curves of her biceps and the sturdiness inherent along her shoulders. If there's anything hidden, it's all in the torso, leaving one to wonder: does she have abs? What's the back situation like? How fast could this all kill a lesbian or helpless bi?   
  
Marianne is already half dead as it is, the poor thing. She's probably right on the cusp thanks to this.   
  
Utterly oblivious to the fact that she's just committed manslaughter, Ingrid hands her coat up to Sylvain and begins to slowly circle closer to the middle of the rink. Felix's performance has managed to get some clapping, so she has to raise her voice to call out to him. "Hey, Dimitri! Switch with me!"   
  
Both of her friends look over to her, before they both grin in their own way- Dimitri relieved to be out of Felix duty, Felix glad for whatever it is that Ingrid can bring to the table. As the two switch out, skating past each other, Dimitri grins at Claude and Sylvain. Despite the chill in the air that comes from being on an ice rink, a drop of sweat is curving down his neck down into his coat. It should be illegal for a man to be this attractive. "I'm glad I still know what I'm doing," he says once he's close enough. "A part of me was absolutely certain that I would lose my balance and make an utter fool of both of us."   
  
With Ingrid's coat flung over one arm, Sylvain just smacks Dimitri on the back. "And it didn't happen! But just remember that if it did, you'd be perfectly in your right to blame it all on Felix, who keeps dragging us into these things."   
  
"I _did_ drag him into that protest, so I feel it's only fair if I go along with minimal complaints."  
  
"Now, this is just a guess," Claude drawls, "but I have a feeling both of you go along with whatever Felix asks of you regardless if you owe him or not."   
  
Sylvain laughs but doesn't argue, and Dimitri's agreement is in the silent embarrassed way he rubs at the back of his neck again. "So, what did you think of all of that?" Dimitri asks instead, since he clearly can't win against Claude's point.   
  
That's fair enough, and reminds Claude to glance back towards the center of the rink again. Felix and Ingrid are doing some rather impressive spins and jumps around each other, having a good time apparently. "Pretty impressive, honestly, although I could just be biased considering I'm not liable to make a fast turn anytime soon," he jokes. "That's not the kind of thing you end up learning if you're just bullied into lessons, is it?"  
  
"Well..." Dimitri sighs, smiling as he does so. "When we were younger and Felix first convinced me to try, I was actually rather against it. Yet as we kept failing and hitting the ice so many times... Something about it all ignited my competitive spirit. I couldn't let it lie. No, I felt I _had_ to get some sort of lift right, or else I'd... I really don't know." He shakes his head. "It sounds kind of silly to say that I'd feel as though I were _losing_."   
  
"You got competitive with the act of ice skating?" Claude says, grinning even as he reaches over to lightly put his hand on Dimitri's arm. He needs the support.   
  
Around Dimitri's other side, Sylvain leans around and winks. "It's why him and Felix actually get along so well, although you'd never be able to tell at only a glance. They're, in their heart of hearts, both overly competitive dorks who will chase victory like dogs after the postman."   
  
"Sylvain!" Dimitri protests, but he gets interrupted before he can scold the redhead for the comparison.   
  
Funnily enough, the person who interrupts happens to be Lysithea, who tries to turn around slightly to face them. "Actually, if you've been skating for so long, could you-" But something in her turn has her blades and the ice not agreeing with one another. She starts to fall, desperately windmilling her arms in order to keep her balance.   
  
That saves her, in the end, with Dimitri speeding up a little bit just far enough for him to lean forward and snag her hand. "Ah, be careful!" he says, just a little bit of scolding in his voice.   
  
It's not exactly the best tone to take with Lysithea, who glares at him even as he helps get her onto a steady balance again. "That was just an accident, it won't happen again," she starts.   
  
Dimitri, unfamiliar with the walking time bomb in his hands, blinks at her. There's no way he could know that Lysithea has a long history now of being given child prices to places or events (which Claude thinks is fantastic and should be abused more), or concerned elderly ladies asking her where her parents are. So, shielded by obliviousness, he simply says, "There are ways to prevent accidents. Would you like me to give you the same tips that I gave Claude?"  
  
As usual, his name is the magic word. Usually it's because people find him so incredibly charming, but in Lysithea's case it's because of their long history together, along with the image he's crafted of himself as someone who does in fact relatively have his life together. She pauses, not fighting against Dimitri's fussing as he steadies her spine, before she gives a small and imperious nod. "Oh- well. Claude does need a lot of help with this sort of thing, with his allergy to cold weather, huh? I don't need nearly that much help, but I guess some tips can't hurt. More importantly, I actually wanted to ask you some questions about skating like you did with Felix."   
  
"Well, I suppose I will do my best to answer anything you're curious about..."   
  
Just like that, Lysithea has skated off with Dimitri in tow, dragging him into deep conversation. Claude allows it to happen, although he exchanges an amused glance with Sylvain as he does so. "Do you think she realizes she just broke up a pair of boyfriends who were having a rather romantic skate together?" he drawls.   
  
Sylvain smirks right back. "With what I'm picking up about Lysithea, do you think she would have any problem doing it if she did realize?"  
  
"Oooooh, fair point." Claude chuckles, glancing back to Hilda and Marianne. It's a good time to do so. His dear best friend is tugging the very tips of her fingernails through Marianne's hair, just enough to get it undone, and he can faintly hear Hilda telling her that 'this' is going to work.   
  
Why Hilda is ruining the perfectly fine work she likely did for Marianne in the first place becomes clear when he glances back towards the center of the rink. Claude doesn't know the official name for the maneuver, but Ingrid is twisting around while holding Felix, keeping his whole body low to the ground. Why Hilda and Marianne are so interested in this is obvious: Ingrid's muscles are even more tense and defined as she holds up Felix's weight.   
  
But then they're done, both of them straightening up and laughing with each other. Claude and Sylvain both fall silent, aware of the show they're liable to get in just a few seconds. Once Ingrid and Felix are close enough, still chuckling in their conversation, Hilda starts first. Of course she does. Secretly full of initiative, that Hilda.   
  
" _Wow_ , Ingrid, you were so amazing!" she gushes, fluttering her eyelashes, fingers still resting along the curve of Marianne's neck. "You must practice so hard to skate like that!"   
  
Looking away from Felix, Ingrid gives a small laugh. "Oh, I just realized that I rather liked figure skating too, and Felix made it less embarrassing for me to indulge." But she soon veers away from that bit of history, perking up as she takes in Hilda and Marianne. "Oh no- Marianne, what happened to your hair?"  
  
Marianne looks like she might faint on the spot. "Oh, it's nothing," she gets out, but Hilda doesn't let that stop her.   
  
Sighing dramatically, Hilda cups one hand to her face. "While we've been skating, her hair came loose!" she exclaims, pointedly glossing over some things. "I did it this morning, but I guess there are some things the style isn't prepared for..." Like, say, Hilda herself sabotaging it. "Oh, but you have your hair pulled back in a braid, right? Maybe you could give us some tips!"   
  
Once all three women are out of sight, Sylvain gives a low whistle. "Your friend is sort of cunning, isn't she?" he asks, in the low tone of someone who can appreciate it.   
  
Claude winks at him. "She'll deny it if you tell it to her face," he says. While he stays alongside Sylvain, he glances over to Felix as well. It's kind of obvious from where he's standing that Felix is glancing back over to Sylvain pointedly, as though he's expecting something... But Sylvain doesn't seem to catch it, or pick up the hint, because Felix soon puts his focus to the front again. "Not going to show off too?" Claude asks casually.   
  
"Who, me?" Sylvain shakes his head. "Naaah. I'll let them do all the work." He adds a wink along with his grin. "Besides, Felix would probably tell me off for getting handsy or something. I'm not nearly as good as those three either."   
  
Uh huh. Somehow, Claude feels that's not entirely true, being a well practiced bullshitter himself. Still, he doesn't press. With Dimitri having been snagged by Lysithea and Felix speeding off ahead again with absolutely no care for socialization, that leaves Claude and Sylvain to chat with each other.   
  
Neither of them have _really_ talked since that fateful day in the Golden Deer, when Sylvain handed him Dimitri's phone number. A brief chat over text doesn't really count. One would, reasonably or logically, expect there to be a bit of awkwardness between them now that they're chatting in the flesh while the guy Claude chose is not that far off.   
  
There isn't. Maybe Sylvain is just a very good actor, which Claude sort of suspects he is after perusing social media, but he can't pick up on any resentment boiling beneath the surface. If anything, whenever Dimitri comes up, or he mentions something his friend has said about Claude, he almost appears to light up a little more. Once, Claude outright broaches the topic, casual and relaxed, simply to see the reaction. All Sylvain does is laugh, wink, and say he figured he'd be the one to get turned down.   
  
("He thought it would be both of them," Felix says dismissively, skating by, and is off before Sylvain can catch him.)   
  
If anything, the two of them get along pretty well. It only takes a few minutes of talking for Claude to realize that there was a reason he felt a certain familiarity with Sylvain when he and Hilda did their little social media dive about the two weird dorks whose numbers Claude had in his possession. Sylvain really is actually pretty clever, underneath his silly and flirty exterior. Claude doesn't usually find people like him, people who he can really talk with like this... and it's nice to do that with Sylvain.   
  
They're both in the middle of talking about the latest scandal at a nearby college, just who is reacting how to what, when it finally hits Claude that he should probably see if his boyfriend is freed up again. Wouldn't do for him to spend more time with the guy who tried and failed to pick him up compared to his own actual boyfriend.   
  
The good news is that Lysithea has finally taken off onto her own, skating improved and getting better with every circle she does around the rink. The other news is that Dimitri has gotten latched onto again, somehow right in the midst of Ingrid, Hilda, and Marianne. They're all smiling up at him, engrossed in conversation as they skate along.   
  
Claude stares for a second, blinking, before he looks up at Sylvain and asks quite seriously, "Is my boyfriend a himbo?"  
  
Sylvain nearly chokes on his own air supply, which Claude is quite pleased about. He'd be lying if he said that wasn't perhaps more than a _slight_ factor towards why he voiced the question in the first place. But, proving they really are kindred spirits, Sylvain soon recovers and looks out towards Dimitri and his gaggle of queer women. "Shit, he sort of is, isn't he?" he says, all delighted awe. "The lesbians really cinch it."   
  
" _Right_?" Claude tries to snap his fingers; it doesn't net him the result he wants. Another reason why winter is terrible. How is he expected to do witty finger snaps if his gloves muffle all attempts? "I mean, it's obvious to anyone who interacts with him, but he's built like the kind of statues they put in museums where they try to tell you this wasn't the artist being horny-"   
  
"Right, right."   
  
"So that's a given," Claude concludes. He wobbles for a second, unsteady on his blades as they make a turn, and Sylvain silently helps steady him. Claude graciously and just as wordlessly accepts the assistance. "And, well. He's my boyfriend, I'm not going to talk trash about my own _boyfriend_ -"   
  
"Completely understandable," Sylvain promises him. "But I'm one of his best friends. So I'm fine with saying that Dimitri has a lot of great qualities. He's even really smart, obviously. Sometimes, I might call him _clever_ , every now and then..." Sylvain takes a deep breath, hand curled at his chin. "...But also, he's absolutely oblivious as hell."   
  
Shaking his head, Claude laughs again. "But the lesbian thing really does make the strongest case. I'm stunned. Even Marianne seems like she's enjoying talking to him. and Marianne wouldn't even _be_ here if Hilda hadn't convinced her in the first place."   
  
Sylvain clicks his tongue. "I'm ashamed that I never saw it before. I should have- Annette and Mercedes like him so much too, after all. But I guess the whole polyamory thing just blinded me to the connection."   
  
"We've cracked the code," Claude says seriously, and they both manage a solemn nod... only to break down into snickers and outright laughter a second after.  
  
Apparently, all the hubbub finally warrants attention, because soon enough Dimitri detaches from the others and slows down enough to let them catch up. "You two are getting along rather well," he notes, partially curious, partially and obviously pleased at the fact. Then again, Dimitri has always seemed happy at how well the meetings between Claude and his friends have gone, and relieved when vice versa happens. "Should I be worried I'm being teased behind my back?"  
  
Sylvain is nice- far nicer than Claude could have guessed from their initial meeting. In an alternate universe, some splintering path based off of his choices, maybe he would even have had fun going on a date or three with him. But looking up at Dimitri is what makes his heart feel warm against the winter chill, even as he playfully winks. Dimitri is the one he immediately skates forward to, linking their arms together. "Perhaps only a little bit," he says. "You made a questionable decision introducing me to all your childhood friends."   
  
"It has occurred to me," Dimitri admits, "that perhaps I should have cause to be concerned."   
  
"Only in a fun way." But with that hilarious little conversation finished... He nudges Dimitri in the side. "I think I've been moving my legs enough for today. Have your fill of skating?"  
  
Dimitri blinks, taking out his phone to check the time. "My, we have been at it for a while... Hold on, the exit to the rink is coming up. Sylvain, can you pass along the word to everyone else, if it's not too much trouble?"  
  
Folding his hands behind his head, Sylvain chuckles. "I'll just catch Felix on his next lap. If not him, then maybe the tag along he's ended up with." Sure enough, Lysithea recently seems to have done enough that Felix is slowing down for her, the two of them exchanging words across the ice.   
  
Well, as long as they're all having fun. It's not really a problem, let alone Claude or Dimitri's problem, so they're both perfectly in the clear to make their way off the ice. A talk with the person who's taken up Ingrid's spot gets them their boots again, along with the bags they left behind, and soon enough Claude is able to stand without threatening to keel over.   
  
"Ah, to move at slower than break neck, without absolutely freezing air rushing past my face," he sighs, once the others have caught up and they're all on the go. "A pity that it's still such a ways until dinner."  
  
Ingrid, an unexpected savior, leans forward and points. "Oh! Before we head out, that way has a food truck that sells hot drinks around now- cider, hot chocolate, coffee, things like that. We can get something for the road. They're quite cheap; I've been enjoying them after work myself."   
  
"It always comes back to food or drinks with you, doesn't it?" Felix asks dryly, and has to hop back when Ingrid tries to smack him in the stomach. It's an exchange they both seem fairly familiar with.   
  
Deterred for only a moment, Ingrid turns away while crossing her arms and huffing. "Honestly! I was trying to be helpful, and you just can't help but needle at someone once again. Aren't we going to have dinner anyway? It's perfectly normal for me to think about these kinds of things. I swear, I win one eating contest in third grade..."  
  
"And then again in seventh, and eight," Sylvain adds helpfully, and is far less successful in avoiding a blow to his ribs.   
  
"You don't _look_ like the kind of person who participates in eating contests," Lysithea observes quietly.   
  
Poor, poor Ingrid. Her face is absolutely red, and she whirls on Sylvain and Felix both. "Look what you two have done-!" All they do is laugh at her, dodging around the other girls so that they don't get tackled to the ground. Considering the furious gleam to Ingrid's eyes, it could very well be a real threat.   
  
Dimitri and Claude get to avoid most of the chaos with how they're hanging far back, still a part of the group arguably but with a good chunk of space inbetween them as they all walk along. Just couple things- or at least, for them it appears to be. Grinning from ear to ear, Claude glances up at Dimitri. "So you have to deal with this every day, with them? Incredible."  
  
Ducking his head, Dimitri can't quite hide his own smile. "There are some benefits to knowing friends from childhood," he says. "Although that means there are just as many more ridiculous things that come with that. But I wouldn't trade any of them for the world."   
  
"Well, as long as I can reap the benefits of an employee discount, I'll happily encourage that decision." Claude bumps his shoulder against Dimitri's arm. "So, do _you_ get like that?"  
  
"Like what?"   
  
"That." Claude nods his head towards where Sylvain is hiding behind Hilda, laughing as Ingrid points accusingly at him. If he had to guess, he'd say the blond is making a quiet threat towards him. Considering the way Hilda is grinning just as much as Sylvain, it must be something stupid and fun more than serious. "Messing around, joking, teasing... We've been dating pretty actively for a while, but you're still always so serious nine times out of ten."   
  
At least he's aware of his own nature, because Dimitri doesn't seem particularly surprised when Claude points it out, only sheepish. "Oh... No, I play around with them. I mean, you saw how Felix managed to get me. Does it bother you?"  
  
"Hmm... That's not quite the word I would have used. It's not so much that I'm bothered, because we've been having plenty of fun with each other beforehand, and lots of times have been exciting or interesting... But you are still restrained, even after our first date. I wouldn't mind getting you a little riled up, just for fun."   
  
"Well... I could try now, if you'd like."   
  
"I mean, don't force yourself or anything. It'll happen when it happens, right?" Claude doesn't mind waiting.  
  
Still, Dimitri shakes his head. "No, I wouldn't be forcing myself. Rather... Well, I did entertain an idea, but I wasn't sure if I would perhaps be overstepping a boundary of some sort. If you really wouldn't mind me being, well... playful... Could you close your eyes, Claude?"   
  
Oooh. From any other dates he's had in the past, he knows what he could expect out of 'playful' for them. With Dimitri, that's still a little bit of an unknown, and Claude honestly can't wait to figure out what that means. That curiosity is what does him in.   
  
So he goes along with Dimitri's request, grinning widely as he does so. He can hear Dimitri shifting behind him, the rustle of his coat giving him away. "Done and done," Claude says. "You know, with the mystery and all, the idea of you being playful is almost too hyped up. So-"   
  
Something ice cold drops down the back of his shirt.   
  
No, not ice cold, _snow_ cold, and Claude barely has a second to absorb the feeling of his scarf and coat being tugged backwards right before The Betrayal happens. He jolts up- literally up, if it's not a foot off the ground then he'll be amazed- and gives a loud screech that immediately draws attention back to them. " _DIMITRI_!" Whirling around and nearly falling over thanks to the cold slick of the sidewalk, he points an accusing finger at his boyfriend.   
  
But this really _must_ be how Dimitri plays around with his friends, because he's long seen that coming and is already bouncing away, off into the snow piled high off the path. His shoulders are hunched up, matching the sheepish crinkle to his brow, but there's no denying the grin on his face. "I'm sorry, but there's just so much snow, and it's been so- funny to see you complain about it all-"  
  
"I'll show you funny-" Claude starts to force his way through the snow after him but gives up in short order, instead kneeling down with his hands at the back of his neck. He whines. "I'm _dying_ here! I can't believe I was betrayed like this, by my own boyfriend! I was wearing a scarf exactly to get away from this kind of torment!"   
  
"You're acting like a baby!" Lysithea calls from the pavement, where the group has paused to watch his suffering like sadistic spectators. No one appreciates his struggles.   
  
"I'm freezing to death!" he moans. "Don't belittle my torture!"   
  
"I only used a pinch!" Dimitri tries to protest, but, sure enough, he's trekking back through the snow so that he can crouch down besides Claude and slowly rub his back. "Really, we must get you better adjusted to the cold weather, Claude. You can't be beaten by only a little-"   
  
That's around the time Claude scoops up a handful of snow and slams it down the front of Dimitri's shirt.   
  
Viking, polar bear, long lost descendant of the Snow King- Dimitri has a lot going for him apparently when it comes to withstanding freezing weather. However, even those have a certain amount of cold that they can't stand... and bare skin contact is one of them. This time it's Dimitri who jolts back with a yelp, falling right on his ass and into the snow. " _Claude_!" he gasps, grimacing as he reaches to tug his shirt out from his pants in order to dispel the clumps of snow within his shirt. "How could you!"   
  
"Revenge is a dish best served cold," Claude says seriously, before he grins and crawls forward. "Now you know how I felt just now."   
  
"It was a pinch," Dimitri bemoans.   
  
"And I'm delicate." Finally close enough, he laughs and reaches under Dimitri's shirt to wipe away some of the powder still lingering on his skin while Dimitri helplessly flaps his shirt.  
  
With the snow mostly gone now, although the chill will no doubt stick around for a while yet, Dimitri shakes his head. "You're one of those people who makes sure to get back at others twice as hard, aren't you?" he says, not sure if he should sound pitiful or amused. Pushing himself up onto his feet, he offers his hand to Claude. "I was going to offer you a way to warm up your neck again, but now I'm not so sure if I should encourage such dreadful behavior."   
  
"Aw." Claude immediately uses the momentum of being pulled up to swing himself right against Dimitri's body, grinning into his coat. "You know, there's a saying on how it's apparently better to beg for forgiveness instead of asking for permission. So how about we just consider me begging, and you indulge me by warming up the spot you so mercilessly attacked me at?"   
  
Dimitri shakes his head. "That is _not_ how I would have described the situation," he tells him before he pulls Claude away using both hands. "Very well. But I am going to have you remove your scarf, or else I'm not going to be able to reach the spot you're complaining about."   
  
"You realize I'm going to look like quite the ass if you pull an encore, don't you?" Claude drawls, smiling a bit.  
  
"I _promise_ not to do it again," Dimitri says, looking so genuine about it that Claude can't help concede. Really, that just means he's going to look extra like a jackass if Dimitri pulls one over him... but he really doesn't think he will, despite how now would be the perfect opportunity for it.   
  
So Claude huffs, still smiling, and turns around obligingly as he tugs his scarf off from around his neck. Patiently, he waits, and then feels Dimitri's fingers gently slip into his hair from the back until his knuckles are nudging Claude's beanie out of place. It really does feel as though something is going to happen, and the hair on the back of Claude's neck sticks up-   
  
Dimitri kisses him there, soft, sweet, his chapped lips barely brushing along Claude's skin and the heat of his breath sinking into him.   
  
He stops breathing then, and his heart flutters right up against his ribcage. For a brief second, he can still feel Dimitri suddenly _so close_ , his breath rolling along his neck and dipping down into the back of his shirt. "Do you feel warmer now...?" It's such a soft and tentative question, right along the curve of his ear, and Claude tries not to shudder too noticeably.  
  
Such a tiny little action, a fleeting chaste kiss, and yet it has sparks igniting through his veins right up into his heart. Maybe it's because they've gone for a while now in this relationship with no move towards kissing, or anything beyond that, which has him reacting so strongly. Maybe it's because he wasn't expecting it, when Dimitri has been so upfront in the past before. Maybe it doesn't really matter. All that matters is Claude turning around to face Dimitri, one hand on his arm, and he opens his eyes to look up at his boyfriend.   
  
"I could benefit from a little more," he breathes, although now he hardly even notices the cold. Not when compared to the feel of Dimitri's bicep underneath his palm, the way they're so close together, that one brilliant blue eye looking into his so shy and hopeful. "Think you could warm up my lips next, Dimitri?"   
  
Nervous, Dimitri wets his lips with the tip of his tongue, and then slowly smiles back at him. "I think I can help with that," he says softly, and leans in to kiss him properly.   
  
This shouldn't be anything new, a part of Claude's brain tries to offer logically. He's had plenty of kisses, and this isn't really that different, physically. Yet it _feels_ different, feels like nothing else he's done before, safe and secure and warm where Dimitri holds him close and their lips slot together so neatly. It's not a deep kiss, doesn't have to be, and they're both sort of smiling like idiots when they pull away.  
  
They're not the only idiots in the park, however, and soon there's clapping and whistles drawing their attention. Turns out that they have such great friends who wait for them, and also jackass friends who will make a scene out of a first kiss. When Claude finally tears his gaze away from Dimitri, he finds that the two main culprits are one Sylvain Jose Gautier and Hilda Valentine Goneril. Felix is just rolling his eyes, although it's up in the air if he's doing it at the happy couple or the two noisy jackasses besides him. Well, Felix seems like a talented kind of guy. He can probably multitask and judge all of them.   
  
Dimitri is going red at the realization that he just kissed his boyfriend in front of at least half their friend groups, and that red only gets worse when Sylvain cups his hands to his mouth and calls out, "I know a hotel you can both check into if you need a room, Dimitri!"   
  
" _SYLVAIN_!" Just like that, Dimitri leaves Claude's side and hauls himself through the snow right towards his friend. With a whoop, Sylvain turns tail and runs off into the snow himself to avoid sweet retribution.   
  
It looks fun, sure, but Claude has rather had enough of snow on his person today... and he's more than content with what's just happened. So he casually strolls his way back onto the pavement and their friends, smiling wide. Hilda looks at him and clicks her tongue, amused and fond. "Could you look anymore smug, Claude?"   
  
"It would take a bit of effort," he says, and winks.   
  
"You're acting like a teenager with his first boyfriend," Lysithea teases, but she doesn't go too hard on him. Maybe, like Hilda, she gets just how happy he is right now. Marianne doesn't say anything, only gives a small and fleeting little smile.   
  
Dimitri's other friends seem less inclined to give him as much shit, although Felix does speak up. "Try to keep the PDA to a minimum," he drawls as he bends down, scooping snow into his hands. For a second, Claude is wary that he'll have to start dodging, but it's not him Felix is focused on. Rather, he's looking out where there's a brief stand off between Sylvain and Dimitri as the two of them try to trick the other into moving one way... and then they're off again.  
  
Almost immediately, Ingrid catches on and groans. " _Felix_! Don't you start adding to this. What Sylvain did really was crude, and he probably deserves anything Dimitri literally throws at him, but, honestly. Lysithea is right, don't be so immature."   
  
Felix smirks, finishing rounding out his snowball. "That would be quite a scolding, if you weren't doing the exact same thing as me."   
  
All Ingrid does is smile, a little sheepish and a little playful in equal measure, and straighten up with a crude snowball of her own. "Well, I suppose he deserves far worse than only what Dimitri can throw at him," she says, giggling, and then the two are off as well. It's easy to tell when Sylvain notices how badly he's been ganged up on. All one has to do is listen for the way he screams.   
  
While Dimitri takes the cake, they all together make a sort of cute picture as they go running through the snow, specks of white flying everywhere. Oh, they're absolutely absurd, Claude thinks, but it's cute. As Claude and his friends wisely stay out of it, he can't help but notice Marianne watching it all with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Penny for your thoughts?" he asks because, while there's no doubt that Marianne finds Ingrid attractive, he doubts that's what would have her thinking so deeply.   
  
"O-Oh." Marianne immediately looks a little bit embarrassed, drawing her hands close to her chest. "It's nothing, really... They're just- silly musings."   
  
"Well, now you _have_ to tell us," Hilda says, wrapping her arm around her and smiling. "You know we won't laugh, Marianne."   
  
She hesitates, for just a moment, but then Marianne takes a breath. "I was just... thinking how, playing in the snow like they are, those four remind me of dogs... just a little bit." She tugs on her own fingers a little bit. "I hope that isn't insulting..."  
  
All three of them look towards where Sylvain is bounding through the snow, whistling and laughing as he dodges attacks on his person, or how Felix is chasing after him with a determined hunter's gleam in his eye, or the way Dimitri and Ingrid are trying to get him in a pincer attack. "If _anything_ ," Lysithea says, "I think that's way too accurate."   
  
Hilda playfully squeezes Marianne's arms. "But now you have to tell us which breeds."   
  
"And why," Claude adds, grinning.   
  
It says a lot about someone, and not necessarily only Marianne, that her pause is one of her usuals and not that of someone who needs a few seconds to think. All too soon, and she's pointing at-   
  
"Well... I suppose I'll start with Sylvain. He reminds me of a Saluki... Have any of you seen them?" She looks around for their reactions. "They're very long and very graceful animals, known for how they often like to loung on comfortable surfaces... But they're amazingly athletic, too."   
  
There's no better time to point that out than now, as he ducks under one of Felix's throws and expertly dodges under one of Ingrid's arms.   
  
Marianne continues. "They're rather intelligent, and get along very well with their own, ah... pack? But they can be reserved outside of that... Which, um, he was very polite and nice to all of us-" She struggles for a second, clearly not sure if she should use the word 'flirty'. "But he seems to prefer being with the others."   
  
Hilda taps her cheek. "Hmm... I can see that. I thought we were getting along pretty well, but you can definitely tell it's shallow between us. He _definitely_ likes Felix and the others more. Some way more." Around Marianne, she raises her eyebrows pointedly to Claude, and he chuckles under his breath. Yes, he'd noticed the way Sylvain's eyes drifted towards Felix more than anything else.  
  
"Speaking of..." Marianne's finger drifts to her next target. "I believe I would pair Felix with a Cattle Dog." She presses her fingertips together. "Oh, um, Blue Heelers. They're extremely high energy dogs... The kind that are happiest when they have a task to complete, or challenges to overcome. But they can be difficult to control, even for experts... If they think there's not someone in authority, they'll take over themselves. And, well, they're not recommended for children or small animals... Since their name is like that for a reason..."   
  
Hilda's eyes narrow in warning. "Did he snap at you when I wasn't looking, Marianne?"   
  
Immediately, she looks aghast, and shakes her head. "No, oh no. I'm so sorry for the mix up-"   
  
"No need to apologize, Marianne," Claude says lightly, gently bringing her down.   
  
Marianne nods, and corrects Hilda. "Rather... He seems like the kind of person who would?"   
  
Like smoothly run machinery, all of them look over to the ongoing snowball fight. Or, well, snowballs are being used, at least. Even as they watch, Felix tries to outright tackle Sylvain, only to miss and catch himself with his foot slamming into the snow. Instead of being disappointed, he only seems excited, and... Yeah, you know what, Claude can't say for sure at this distance, but he'd place money on Felix having just snapped his teeth in adrenaline.   
  
Marianne probably wasn't thinking sexual thoughts when she made that statement, but all Claude can think now is that Sylvain is sure in for an exciting time if he can ever successfully get Felix's attention.   
  
Clapping her hands together, Hilda asks, "What about Ingrid?"  
  
"Oh, she's a golden retriever, absolutely," Marianne says with a slight smile and no hesitation. She really seems to be getting her groove with this, now, and Claude finds himself grinning alongside her. "They're highly recommended dogs, friendly in all manner of ways. It's no doubt why people think of them as a quintessential dog... They're easy to train, friendly to people... But, well, they're still a hunting dog at their roots. So having a lot of play time..."   
  
There's a loud laugh from the snow flying everywhere, and Marianne ducks her head, still smiling.   
  
Lysithea puts her hands on her hips and raises an eyebrow. "I think this is all a lot of bias," she announces, which makes Marianne go red.   
  
The good news is that she has Claude for a friend, and Claude prides himself on his shamelessness. He leans in, bumping his shoulders against Marianne's, and grins. "Speaking of bias, that just leaves Dimitri, doesn't it? I'll pretend you saved the best for last."   
  
He'll consider it a victory to have Marianne smiling again, and she directs her attention once more to the snow fight happening in the distance. "For him... I think he would be a Malamute," she decides. "They're sturdy, and certainly not a small dog by any means... They obviously found home in incredibly cold locations. They're still very friendly, of course... But they once were used to hunt polar bears, and, well... Everyone notices at first glimpse how wolf-like they still are."   
  
Even as she says it, Claude watches as Dimitri suddenly catches Sylvain off-guard - surging out from the snow while he's distracted by a maneuver from Ingrid. Despite the distance, it's clear to see that broad slash of a smile across his face, all teeth. Claude remembers seeing it once before, during their very first date with one another. It's Dimitri's competitive grin, the one he takes on when he's really worked up.  
  
The one that makes him look absolutely fucking feral.   
  
Y'know, he supposes he's kind of glad he did show Marianne that one video taken at the zoo. While it wasn't a completely accurate representation of everything Dimitri is, at least she's not wholly surprised when this side comes surging out in moments like now.   
  
With Dimitri blocking one way, there's nowhere else for Sylvain to go. All he can do is stumble back against Dimitri's chest, laughing, as Felix and Ingrid pelt him with snowballs that ends in Felix dumping one the size of his head against Sylvain's body. With all the slippery snow around and all that running, the four of them collapse into a pile of white- although mostly Dimitri hitting the snow, and everyone else hitting Dimitri. Claude can hear their laughter all the way from where he's standing, Dimitri's included, and he marvels at the little kernel of warmth in his chest as he notes that.   
  
Weeks and weeks ago, after their first date, he'd reflected that he'd had it pretty bad. With time, that feeling has only gotten worse. He doesn't regret it at all.   
  
The crunch of snow rouses him out of his own memories, and he glances down to see Lysithea bent to gather snow in her hands. The realization of what she wants to do forms neatly in Claude's mind, and he laughs into his glove. "Oh, aiming to get sweet revenge, huh?"   
  
He's pretty sure if he asked, Lysithea would blame her rosy cheeks on the cold and not embarrassment. "I mean, clearly these sorts of childish measures are the only way guys like Felix will listen, right?" she says, trying to make an excuse for herself. "It's just to get his attention and nothing else."   
  
And with that excuse put up like a shield, Lysithea begins to sneak through the snow towards the pile of dogs-in-human-bodies. Poor Felix is too absorbed in whatever he's telling Sylvain to even realize the danger, until there's a snowball already stuffed down the back of his turtleneck.   
  
Needless to say, it takes a little while before they set off again. Claude, Hilda, and Marianne all get hot cider in the meanwhile so that they can enjoy the show without freezing to death.   
  
By the time they're all ready, the only person not covered in snow (besides Claude and his two sensible friends, of course) happens to be Ingrid, giggling behind her hand as she looks at the absolutely soaked state her friends are in. They all make fun of them, Dimitri with snow in his hair and Sylvain a walking snowman and Felix dusting it off his body so that it flicks right onto Lysithea. Really, they must make quite a sight as they walk down the street... but it's the city. People have seen weirder, and this is rather tame in comparison.   
  
The restaurant they're all headed towards is fortunately nearby; being right near a park in the city is never a bad location to have if one can manage it. All the servers seem to recognize Ingrid and her friends while they're shedding snow at the entrance, particularly delighted, and soon enough they're seated, coats set to the side.   
  
Everything is already so warm before the grill even starts up, and Claude nestles against Dimitri. "Finally, a place for people with sense and a self preservation instinct," he sighs.  
  
"I need to take you out for more winter activities," Dimitri says, which is the exact opposite of a caring and loving boyfriend, the _monster_. But he does wrap his arm around Claude, tugging him close and sharing in his polar bear-like warmth, so he guesses he can forgive him a little bit. "But it was fun to go skating, wasn't it?"   
  
"Don't bother trying to convince him," Felix says from his side of the table, leaning out of the way as what could very well be _dozens_ of sides get placed onto the table. "It seems like you've ended up dating a delicate snowflake."   
  
"God, I wish I was a delicate snowflake," Claude muses, letting the casual insult roll off his back. "Then maybe I wouldn't be dying in the cold, and Dimitri could catch me on his tongue."   
  
Dimitri and Marianne both go blazing red, Ingrid and Felix choke on their drinks, Lysithea rolls her eyes, and that leaves Sylvain and Hilda to just lose their absolute shit. Claude merely gives a lazy and smug grin. Why go with a come back himself, when he can just make Felix almost die of asphyxiation from some more-than-obvious innuendo?   
  
Claude and Hilda are still laughing when he notes Ingrid lean in to Sylvain. She probably doesn't realize Claude is just barely close enough to hear her iss, "It's like he's dating you, Sylvain!" Felix gets company in 'choking on a drink' city, because that's what Sylvain does with some cucumber in his mouth. Even if she didn't mean for anyone else to hear that, it makes Claude laugh a little harder. Or maybe that's Felix, yelling at him to stop telling him about his and Dimitri's sex life.   
  
Really, the meat arrives just on time.  
  
Beyond all the teasing and playful jabs, their group is just full of chatter. When he's not indulging in it himself, from asking Ingrid about the kinds of ice skating tricks she knows to checking in with Marianne on her recent volunteer hours at the pound, Claude enjoys just listening to all the different conversations.   
  
He's used to listening in on his friends, knowing what they'll all default to talking about when they have time with one another. With Dimitri's friends? That means even more new conversations, new aspects of themselves revealed, and he loves it. Hell, he loves seeing his own friends happy. With Dimitri's friends... He thinks he could love seeing them in very much the same way.   
  
Hilda carefully teasing Ingrid into some beauty gurus on youtube she knows, the videos focused more on humor than necessarily makeup tips.   
  
Dimitri and Marianne, their heads bowed quietly together, talking about forgiveness and working hard and all the best cat watching spots in the city.   
  
Felix and Lysithea, bonding and arguing in equal measure, the latter occasionally fielding questions to Sylvain, who injects a spicy hot take into whatever it is they're bickering about.   
  
All of them have friends outside each other, of course. That's how the world works, just degrees of separation keeping them all apart. There are plenty of people Lorenz knows that Claude doesn't (and probably won't ever want to), and the same goes for Raphael, and Ignatz, on and on and on. But there really is something just... _nice_ about seeing all his most important friends not only like Dimitri, but seem to like Dimitri's friends as well.   
  
It feels.... like a simple and neat merging of their lives together.   
  
Well. It's a little too early still to think about things like _that_.   
  
At some point, Claude loses track of what round of meat they're on. This is partially because Ingrid knows the location of this restaurant by heart for good reason, with how much she tears through without batting so much as an eye. There's still plenty left for them, and Claude is enjoying the way the meat sizzles when Dimitri turns to him with a bright grin. "That reminds me- Claude, do you have any plans later in the month?"  
  
"Hmm.... Let's see." He runs through his mental calendar.  
  
There's the usual stuff, of course, but a lot of it has slowed down in consideration of how it seems every religion or culture in existence kicks off around the start of winter. Not surprising, really. Seasons are the same no matter where one is, bar the most extremes, so some holidays simply sync up when it comes to timing.   
  
His parents want him to Skype later, but he can do that whenever, really. There's the usual small little get together he has with his roommates, but that's pretty informal: taste testing how many variants of hot chocolate they can make, a terrible holiday movie marathon, and some minor gift exchanges.   
  
He tells Dimitri all of this, because there's not really a reason to keep it hidden from anyone, and adds towards the end, "Why, have a romantic date idea in mind?"   
  
Dimitri's smile turns slightly sheepish. "Oh, no, I'm afraid not. Well, I likely will? But I'm inquiring right now for something else entirely. I've told you about the winter party I have with all of my friends at the end of the year, haven't I? It occurred to me the other day that I hadn't formally invited you, and I wanted to correct that mistake." He looks across the table. "Hilda has long since received the invitation,. Granted, it was long before any real planning had gone into the party."   
  
Hilda bats her eyelashes, but there's no shame in her eyes. Claude is proud to say that there very rarely is. "I mean, once he told me about it, of course I had to make sure that I got an invitation! I had _no idea_ that there was still a lot of time left until it would become an issue."   
  
"She certainly took initiative," Dimitri says, smiling a little bit. "Still, would you be interested?"   
  
"I mean, I can't let Hilda have all the fun," Claude says, winking. "Let me know the time and place. Should we bring some food, or are we all ordering out?"  
  
Ingrid leans forward, smiling. "Normally, we make it something of a potluck."   
  
"I'm not missing Dedue's cooking for the world," Sylvain says, plucking some more meat from the grill. "So that's at least one good reason why we should keep it a potluck tradition. But if you can't afford or manage to bring anything, it's not a big deal. Trust me." He laughs, and winks. "There will be plenty of food. No need to add stress to the menu."   
  
"But if you're going to come, then I won't feel guilty about asking you for Raphael's phone number or email," Dimitri says. "Oh, and also could you ask Lorenz if he's interested? Ignatz seemed very nice, but I'm concerned that perhaps this may seem far too intimate an invitation..."   
  
Felix groans from his part of the table, as though that might hide the way his fond smile is slipping out after a bottle of beer. "Are you going to invite every single person you've met in the last couple of months?"   
  
Instead of shying away, Dimitri tilts his chin up in an almost imperious fashion. "I'm hosting it at my apartment like we've been doing for a good few years now," he says simply. "I don't believe I'm without the right to invite who I please. Besides, this is for friends, isn't it? I rather like people such as Raphael, so I don't see the harm in inviting them."   
  
Placing his elbow on the table, Claude cups his cheek in his hand and grins wide. "I mean, that is a perfectly valid line of reasoning," he says, "but just to double check, how many of your friends are coming, Dimitri?"   
  
"Well..." Dimitri looks around the table. "Almost everyone here, it goes without saying. After that, it's only Dedue and the others, down the hall. That's not too many to start with, is it?"  
  
"It sounds like so little when you put it that way," Sylvain muses, grinning around his drink. "Not at all like you're inviting a bunch of other people into the limited space that is your apartment. What's the full list of names of people outside the usual suspects that you want to invite now?"   
  
Dimitri begins to count out the list on his fingers. "Claude, obviously. Hilda is coming as well-"   
  
"And Marianne is my plus one," Hilda interjects.   
  
"Yes, of course. So, Claude, Hilda, Marianne, Raphael-"   
  
Lysithea peers around Ingrid. "Can any of us come? Because I don't have any plans either, and it's going to be dull if I have to spend the holidays alone."   
  
"Oh, you're certain you'd like to come? It's going to be rather... Well. Felix will be there."  
  
"And what is that supposed to mean, exactly, boarhead-"   
  
"I'm sure," Lysithea agrees, crossing her arms. "In fact, that works out perfectly for me. This absolute heathen doesn't think sweets are worth the time it takes to put them in the mouth. If this is a potluck, then I can _absolutely_ prove him wrong."   
  
"No one's _asking_ you to prove me wrong-"   
  
"But you need to be!"   
  
While Felix and Lysithea fall into another argument, Dimitri casually continues on, ignoring both of them completely. It's a skill Claude can appreciate, really. "So, Claude, Hilda, Marianne, Raphael, Lysithea, Lorenz-"   
  
"Lorenz is almost guaranteed to bring Leonie along, if Hilda has the go-ahead to bring a plus one," Claude observes. "Since they are dating and all." He grins at the blank stare Dimitri gives him, this clearly having been _news_ to the blond. "Oh, yeah, they're dating. I suppose that wouldn't have had a reason to come up whenever you've talked to them, huh? Anyway, he'll definitely bring her along, so at that point you may as _well_ invite Ignatz since he knows all of us too."   
  
Dimitri stares down at his fingers, where he's counted out all eight of their names. Sylvain tries to hide his wheezed out snickers behind one hand. "Dimitri? That's an additional _fifteen people_ you want to shove into your apartment."  
  
While Dimitri doesn't outright _look_ filled with regret by the full picture, he does stare at his fingers with a blankness that only comes from being a little overwhelmed. "It... certainly is," he says after a second, taking a deep breath before he squares his shoulders. "Well, my apartment should be big enough, and it would be rude of me to rescind invitations. I shall simply have to make another cheesecake."   
  
"Well... The more, the merrier, isn't that how the saying goes?" Ingrid clasps her hands together, just as stubbornly determined as Dimitri. "Besides, with how much we bring to the party anyway, I doubt we'll have any food shortage problems."   
  
Folding his hands behind his head, stuffed full of barbecue, Sylvain leans back in his chair until at least some of the legs are off the ground. "Well, just in case, I think I might actually follow the Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd school of party preparation, and make a little extra on my end too. I doubt anyone will oppose more sorbet."   
  
Well, that's certainly one way to get Hilda's attention, and she perks up. "Wait, you make sorbet, Sylvain?"   
  
"You'd be amazed at how easy it is, honestly..."   
  
Just like that, the conversation falls back into the comfortable ebb and flow that they'd all had before. Claude manages to steal the majority of Dimitri's focus this time around, curious about this party, what's expected from it, what sort of shenanigans have happened in the past.  
  
The good news is that it really is just a generic 'winter' sort of party. No religion or holiday attached. From Claude's snooping - _inquiring_ \- it's apparently something they all agreed on years ago, Dimitri and his friends.   
  
He'd already known about Dimitri's uneasiness with the main church around, which had extended to a few other religions like it, but he seems to have a friend heavily involved in it. (Mercedes, if Claude had to guess, based off of what he knows.) His other friends seem to have varying religious interest, and Dedue has an _entirely_ different set of spiritual views. So, in the end, it's devoid of any other connotation beyond just a party for friends, the last of the year.   
  
Claude rather likes that. There are always reasons for a party, in his opinion, so long as one has friends they love to populate it.   
  
Because it's just a party amongst friends, there's no need to dress up fancy- unless anyone wants to anyway. Tee shirt and jeans are perfectly acceptable, although not advised with it being winter. It's a potluck, but no one has to really bring anything if they don't want to, and there's always backups just in case something happens.   
  
It all sounds really comfortable, honestly. The more Claude hears about it, the more he quietly finds himself looking forward to it, for all that he's literally only been invited tonight. What a way to celebrate the end of the year: with friends, an excellent meal, and everyone mingled together.   
  
Eventually, _eventually_ , they're all stuffed full of good food, and everyone divides up the cost between themselves with a generous tip heaped on for dealing with a large group of loud mouths who devoured probably half their stock of meat.   
  
"Jeez, time really does fly when you're having fun and making your stomach into a meat market," Claude notes as he pulls on his coat, looking out of the window where the city has fallen dark and the streetlights pick up the sun's slack. "I'm not looking forward to walking in the cold."   
  
"You haven't looked forward to the cold at all today, as far as I can tell," Felix says, smirk teasing at his lips.   
  
"And I'm valid for it," Claude says primly, sticking his tongue out and winking.   
  
Dimitri interrupts. "Felix, you had a few drinks. Are you sure you'll be alright on the way home?"   
  
Scoffing, Felix cuts his hand through the air in a dismissive gesture. "It's fine. I've made it back to my apartment just fine plenty of times before. I don't need you to hold my hand on this."  
  
"Now who's being immature?" Lysithea says smugly. "You should take that kind of concern upfront."   
  
"I think that would still be you, actually, Miss Still Eats Desserts For Breakfast."   
  
Dimitri cuts through yet another argument, apparently very used to it happening where it concerns Felix. "I think it would simply make all of us feel better if you had someone go with you.... Or, perhaps stayed at someone's place? Sylvain, would you mind?"   
  
The redhead in question has been standing to the side, watching the bickering in much the same amused fashion Claude has been. Yet when Dimitri suggests him, he starts a little bit, and actually looks a bit caught off-guard for a split second as he glances over at his friend.   
  
His expression is gone in a heartbeat; Claude is fairly only certain he caught it because he's used to such acting. Part of it might have even been pure simple luck. "I mean, you all know you're welcome to crash in my place anytime you like, but I'm not sure Felix-"   
  
Whatever Sylvain was thinking about Felix, he wasn't thinking hard enough, because he's caught completely off guard when the other man jabs his lethally pointy elbow right into his side. "Trying to run away again?" he says, smirking. "Don't think I missed how you thought you could get out of ice skating with me, sticking to Claude all afternoon. I ought to get you back."   
  
"You're being invited to stay at my house, not kill me in my sleep," Sylvain points out, grinning. Claude feels pretty confident in saying that it's not in his imagination, the way Sylvain's shoulders slowly start to ease up. "Well, I guess that decides things on our end. Maybe I can even do breakfast for us, if you're staying over, Felix." He grins at the rest of the group. "Will the rest of you lovely ladies be alright on the way back home at this time of night?"   
  
"I didn't know I was a lady," Claude comments idly, which earns a snicker from at least a few in their group. He's pleased to note that even Ingrid has to hide her mouth behind one hand.  
  
Sylvain quirks an eyebrow up, grinning. "Oh, I just assumed you were going with Dimitri, in which case no one will touch you. Well, unless he-"   
  
" _Sylvain_!" Dimitri and Ingrid cry out in unison, while Felix plugs his ears with an exasperated look stretched across his face. Hilda and Lysithea just laugh.   
  
Once all the ruckus has quieted down, Claude speaks up. "Actually, I think I've had enough for tonight, so I'll probably just head home for the night."   
  
"In that case, you can just walk with me and Marianne," Hilda says, grinning. "I was going to help her get home, since the subway system is still such a mess, and her place isn't too far from ours."   
  
Claude groans at the prospect of walking around in the cold even more than he has already, but nods his agreement. Sylvain grins over to Ingrid and Dimitri. "So that leaves the blond duo all on their own. Well, you'll both be alright."   
  
Putting her hand on one hip, Ingrid tilts her head to the side with a smile. "No concern for me on whether I'll get home safe, Sylvain?"   
  
It's Felix who answers with a sharp bark of a laugh. "Ingrid, once, when we were in high school, almost got jumped by some punk with a knife, and broke his jaw with a backhand."   
  
Hands fisted, Ingrid leans forward with her cheeks pink. "It was an accident, Felix, I was _surprised_!"   
  
The conversation gets sidetracked for a hot minute, including Hilda feeling the need to inform Ingrid of how extremely attractive her punching out a mugger is, but soon enough everyone is dressed once more for the weather outside, and they all head their separate ways. Sylvain takes off one direction, shyly curling his arm around a mildly intoxicated Felix, which leaves Dimitri and Ingrid to set off into the night after Dimitri presses another shy kiss to Claude's mouth.   
  
Thus Claude, Hilda, and Marianne are all traversing the snowy streets of the city on their own. Claude's head is already whirling with ideas on what to bring to the party, what exactly he should dress, and Hilda indulges him gladly with Marianne occasionally chiming in.   
  
As they talk, however... His mind can't help but buzz. He feels like there's more than just holidays to this month, something he's seen but forgotten. On a hunch, he pulls out his phone, risking the way his fingers freeze over in the cold air while he removes a glove.   
  
Hilda leans near to look over his shoulder. "What's up?" she asks, while Marianne moves in a little as well.   
  
"Just double checking something..." It's been a while, but Dimitri's long abandoned facebook is easy enough to find. As he skims over the page, a smile tugs on his lips and he hears Hilda give a delighted gasp. "Ah ha."   
  
Marianne has one hand of her own delicately raised to her mouth, just as surprised but in much quieter fashion. "What do you think you'll do for it...?"   
  
Sliding his phone back into his pocket, Claude tugs his glove back on and laughs. "I have a few ideas already. It's just a matter of narrowing them down."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Faerghus Four snow headcanons, so this was really just a very self indulgent chapter to write things like Felix knowing figure skating or Sylvain being bullied with snowballs. This is despite me also being from a desert and thus having more in common with Claude. 
> 
> Anyway, I settled on how many chapters V3 is! It was never actually *meant* to be such a long fic, lmao, so it was a bit of a struggle to settle on an ending, which I think is sometimes the hardest part of a fic. As a reminder, I'll continue to accept any questions about schizophrenia all the way to the final chapter, for the eventual oneshot me and Raile plan on writing. 
> 
> Also, thanks to everyone who donated for this round of AO3's usual donation drive! I couldn't donate, so I'm glad others did instead. Everyone who donated supports the rest of us on this site.


	8. gimme that can't sleep love

"Uuuugh, why did your car have to break down _now_? Walking with all of this is such a pain!"  
  
"Preaching to the choir, Hilda, trust me. But let's try to think positive, or fun! We're heading to a party, after all."  
  
"Then, if we're talking fun, why is your manager so cool?" Hilda sighs, peering over at the amount of boxes he has in his arms. "I mean, how did Manuela even _know_ the guy you're dating doesn't like alcohol?"  
  
Adjusting the boxes as they wait for the crossing light to flash green, Claude grins. "I honestly had some of the same questions myself," he tells her. "All she did was wink and tell me women are full of secrets. But I'm pretty sure all she did was check my social media." Peering proudly out of a bag hanging from the crook of his elbow, the champagne bottle catches waning sunlight proudly. While it's a champagne, it distinctly notes itself as being 'de-alcoholized'. It's the perfect party drink, with none of the terrible hangover or addiction type side effects. "Meanwhile, I notice you stopped by Gaius's Bakery before you got back."  
  
She puffs out her cheeks, although she's not serious about it. "Listen, Mister Lambchops and Devils, not all of us can cook a delightful meal, or have the energy for it! And _you_ were taking up all the kitchen space anyway, when I woke up this morning. Trying to impress your boyfriend, huh?"  
  
The answer is a wink, because it often is. Besides, yeah, why not? He has good reason to want to impress his boyfriend, even if Dimitri said no one had to bring anything. For something like this, Claude really does want to give it his all. "Hey, no judgment, no judgment. Everyone knows that Gaius's sweets are some of the best in the entire city. It must have taken quite a bit of networking and puppy dog eyes to get so many, right?"  
  
And there are _so many_. If it was just a party with her, and him, and the rest of her friends, maybe a dozen would have been more than enough. But Hilda has really gone above and beyond this time around in a surprising display, with maybe more than three dozen cupcakes piled up in three cutely decorated boxes bearing the bakery's trademark ursine mascot. On one hand, he knows at least part of the consideration must be for Raphael, who could probably clear through a whole box on his own if there weren't any other alternatives, plus even just a single cupcake for each of the party goers would mean she'd at least need two boxes in the end.  
  
But...  
  
Claude's own eye twinkles a little bit. "then again, maybe I'm not the only person trying to impress someone. There are going to be quite a few cute girls for you and Marianne, huh?"  
  
"Has anyone told you that you talk too much, Claude?" she asks, bumping her hip against his with a grin.  
  
"I'm pretty sure I've heard similar words out of Lorenz's mouth. Do you really want to be like Lorenz, Hilda?" The two of them burst out laughing, and then the light turns green to send them on their way.  
  
There's a lot going on in the city, lots of people who have places to be just like Claude and Hilda do. Fortunately, the two of them manage to navigate the subways and streets all the way to Dimitri's apartment complex with no problem. It's all really quite a stroke of good luck, especially since Claude knows just how chaotic this time of year can be. Just as him and Hilda are stepping into the elevator, a familiar deep voice calls out to the pair of them. "Hold the doors, please."  
  
Claude pauses mid-stride, keeping his leg in the elevator door's way, and grins over his shoulder at the approaching hulking figure. "Dedue! What a coincidence, right? I thought you would have been upstairs in your apartment with everyone else already, if not at Dimitri's place to start with." Once Dedue is close enough, he steps further inside and turns around to get a look at the man. And, boy, is there a lot to look at today.  
  
After all, Dedue is a pretty big guy as it is, and someone- him or another person entirely- seems to have taken full advantage of that. The backpack he has strapped to his back is absolutely enormous, taking up the whole of his torso. _Which is a lot of torso_. Underneath that is another pack of some sort, slung diagonally across his body, straining with whatever has been stuffed inside it. His arms, of course, aren't immune to all this weight either, and he's carting at least three different bags. Claude thinks one of them might actually be one of those custom bags meant for carrying a pressure cooker, or something similar.  
  
All of that, and he's still able to move at the same walking speed Claude has seen him use already, as if he's not carrying a thing. What a man. No wonder three different people have leapt onto him already. Claude can imagine himself doing the same, if he weren't head over heels for Dimitri.  
  
"Thank you," Dedue says once he's stepped inside, the doors sliding shut behind him. Hopefully no one else has to use this elevator for a while. With how much they're all carrying together, it's more than tight enough. "I normally try to be punctual to such events, but I'm afraid I've been with family for the last few days. This is typically how things tend to schedule out, however."  
  
Making an intrigued noise, Hilda leans forward to try and better survey all his luggage. "Are these all gifts from your family, then?" she asks.  
  
Tilting his head to the side, Dedue considers her question. "Of a sort," he answers after a moment.  
  
"I can't tell if you're unlucky, because I think I would _die_ if I had to carry all of this back to my apartment after visiting my family, or really lucky, because they must love you _so_ much if they send you back with this." She smiles up at him.  
  
Dedue doesn't actually smile back, as far as Claude can tell from his position, but something in his expression seems to soften somewhat. "Yes. I immigrated here when I was very young, and my aunts took me in, since the rest of my family didn't make it."  
  
"Oh," Hilda says, taken aback. "I'm sorry for your loss..."  
  
"Let us know if we're being too nosy," Claude adds. "Especially me, gods know."  
  
Dedue shakes his head. "It's fine. This was a very long time ago. I've come to terms with their absence, and I have no doubt their spirits have been put to rest. Still, my aunts were the ones to watch over me here in a new country, and they drew together more cousins and distant relatives than I knew existed. Every year, they make sure there's still a large family party." He lifts up the probably-a-pot bag in particular. "Not all families can be perfect... but they have worked very hard to make sure that the bonds in ours are still good. They also insist on sending me back with more than the average person would be able to carry." Claude might be imagining things, but he could swear that Dedue's tone gains a slightly dry tint towards the end there.  
  
Before much more can be said about the subject, the elevator rumbles to a stop. Their stop, to be specific. Claude expects Dedue to make a sharp left to his apartment as they all go down the hall. Instead, he accompanies them all the way to the end, where Dimitri's is. Claude quirks up an eyebrow at him, curious and amused, but all Dedue does is quietly incline his head towards the door. The door which... Does Claude smell burning? Oh boy.  
  
All three of them have their hands full to various degrees, but Claude is nothing if not clever. He has more limbs than just two hands. Granted, trying to knock with the tip of his boot isn't really the most elegant of solutions.  
  
Good news is: it doesn't have to be. All it has to be is a solution that _works_. At his knock, there's the sound of voices frantically exchanging muffled words, and then footsteps approaching the door with about the same energy.  
  
There's absolutely zero surprise to be had when Dimitri jerks open the door only partway, hair pulled back in a messy ponytail and badly hidden panic on his face. "Claude! Hello, I apologize, I'm having some- technical difficulties. Could you please wait outside in the hall for just a minute, I'll clear space for some of your things." Just like that, the door hastily closes again-  
  
Only to be yanked open a split second later, Annette hanging from one of Dimitri's biceps, and both of them chorus together, "DEDUE!!!"  
  
The following string of sentences are said so fast, Dimitri and Annette talking over one another, that even Claude can only barely keep track of what they're both trying to say. There are a _lot_ of apologies, Dimitri distressed about 'unhinged levels of salt', Annette bemoaning that she thought she would have better luck with a portable cooktop- on and on. Inbetween words, they reach over to begin relieving Dedue of his many bags and packs, setting them to the side, until finally the man is free of every little burden. Dedue doesn't even have to say anything. Dimitri and Annette simply do it, fussing over him even in the midst of their apparent disaster.  
  
With all his bags taken, Dedue finally interjects the torrent of words by reaching over to put a hand on their shoulders. "We will fix it," he says with such quiet certainty in his tone that it brooks no room for negativity. And with that, he simply soldiers on through into Dimitri's apartment, Annette clinging to his side in distress. The faint smell of smoke is all the more noticeable with the door left open.  
  
Now that Actual Kitchen Savior Dedue is here, that seems to be more than enough for Dimitri to give Claude and Hilda his full attention. "I'm truly sorry about this," he says, reaching over to remove the top box from Claude's arms. "Annette and I were trying to get a last minute dish done. Things... Well, we're clearing it all up now." Pausing in his explanation, he looks over the distinctive bottle hanging in its bag. "Oh, Claude, I don't..."  
  
"Non-alcoholic," Claude promises him, and relishes the way Dimitri brightens up. "A parting holiday gift from my manager at the Golden Deer. Don't ask me how she knew you weren't into booze, but she insisted that couples should have a good drink together."  
  
"I'll have to meet her properly so that I can thank her," he says, going to put the box back onto a table. "I would invite the two of you in, but it's all rather- well, it's a bit of a mess in here. I'm not sure if you would like to watch our rather dismal attempts in the kitchen... but, then, it would be just as rude to keep you waiting outside..." He sighs, coming back to accept Claude's covered up tray. "I suppose I'll leave it up to the pair of you to decide what you want to do."  
  
It's a good thing he said that; Claude could spot Hilda gearing up her most pitiful look from the corner of her eye while Dimitri was mid-speech. But with that cleared up, she starts smiling again immediately. "Oh, what's a little mess between friends?" she says, swanning in to put her many boxes of cupcakes onto the coffee table. "Oh! You've changed a whole bunch of stuff!"  
  
With only one box left in his arms, Claude follows after her and whistles. "Oh, so you have. Very nice work."  
  
What's really changed, honestly, is that now a lot more stuff has been brought in to fill the formerly empty space that Dimitri's apartment had so much of. The coffee table has been moved from its place in front of the television and is more to the side, out of the way and nearer to the entrance. All furniture has been moved a little bit further away from the television as well... To adjust to the fact that there are now _two_ television sets prepared, hooked up to a variety of gaming systems. A couple of small side tables have been placed along everywhere, for any drinks or snacks someone might theoretically bring with them while enjoying some prime entertainment.  
  
That's just part of the open living area. Nearer to the windows was the prime culprit of empty space, but now that's all been filled out with a variety of tables and chairs. They're not particularly _fancy_ examples of furniture in most cases: just the standard dirt poor plastic fold out tables along with one really nice wooden table that stands out despite its legs clearly having been gnawed on in the past by some sort of animal. (Claude recognizes a thrift shop find when he sees one.)  
  
Finally, there are the decorations. The only thing even remotely associated with any one religion would be the small fairy lights strung up everywhere to give a soft warm glow to the apartment. Around the dining area is where they especially - ha - shine, but they wind up the railing to the loft landing as well.  
  
Instead of some more traditional colors, at least what's usually traditional for the city, a swath of gold and red has been rolled throughout the apartment. That includes the various quilts and plush blankets draped across most lounging furniture, couch included along with the floor in front of the dual television sets. Gold colored snowflakes stand out against red backgrounds in the form of various little art accessories that stand besides the televisions, and line up the length of the tables. Things like that are everywhere, with the occasional open pinecone or cheery robin interjected.  
  
With the door left open and everything brought in left to the coffee table, Dimitri has returned to the kitchen. There, something unidentifiable has been left abandoned in a pan near the sink, and both Dimitri and Annette are hastily obeying Dedue's quiet instructions. Still, as he fetches something from a top shelf, Dimitri smiles over to them. "Oh, thank you. Sylvain helped me set up everything yesterday, and Ingrid was the one who helped me decorate it all. Some of this we honestly re-use every year-" Pausing, he follows some instructions from Dedue to start mixing something. "Ah, like I was saying, we re-use a lot of the decorations. It still comes out rather well no matter how many times we do so, I think."  
  
Hilda eyes it all with delight. "You know, next year, I wouldn't mind coming over to help too," she says. "I actually think I've seen a few things in various thrift shops around town that would look _great_ in this set up."  
  
Handing over the bowl back to Dedue, Dimitri smiles in relief. "Honestly, I wouldn't refuse the help. While we were able to get the living space looking rather nice, the other rooms are plain in comparison. But, they _are_ clean, if you'd like to explore a little bit. Just, please stay out of my room."   
  
Claude is almost positive that his eyes literally light up. He's been wanting to nose around Dimitri's apartment for _ages_ but there's never been a good enough time. Dimitri has always gotten terribly embarrassed, saying they were in no state to be visited. On one hand, Claude could understand the sentiment. That one glimpse into Dimitri's mess of a room had said all it needed to. On the other hand, while of course he'd listened to his boyfriend's wishes like a decent significant other and all around human being, it had absolutely _killed_ him to not give into his intrinsically nosy nature.  
  
"Don't mind if we do," Claude says, as though Hilda has agreed to any of this. Before he heads off again, however, Dimitri speaks up once more.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to put down that box, Claude? It seems rather cumbersome to lug around the apartment."  
  
Blinking, Claude glances down at the plain and relatively flat brown box he still has tucked underneath one arm. "Oh, this little thing?" he says, grinning. "Yeah, I probably should set it down, but no worries. I'll keep it out of the way."  
  
Dimitri's smile is puzzled but trusting. "If you say so." Then again, maybe he doesn't have time to worry about mysterious boxes when him and Dedue have to watch to make sure Annette doesn't accidentally mix up the sugar and the salt.  
  
The hallway on the bottom floor is a little more sparsely decorated compared to the living room, it's true, although a few noble efforts have been made with some snowflakes strung along the walls. Claude knows the bathroom, so he doesn't glance twice at that. He only looks over at Dimitri's room once, laughing a little when he sees a small sticky note that's been thoroughly taped to the door and says DIMITRI'S ROOM. Cute. That leaves only the one mystery room that Claude has known existed before, and he eagerly ducks into it with Hilda following after.  
  
Dimitri's use of the room is obvious basically immediately, with a treadmill set in the corner and some small dumbbells near it. On the opposite side of the room is a fairly nice desk, a desktop computer taking up most of the space. The screen is black, but he can tell the computer itself is on, simply asleep.  
  
Claude keeps himself from poking around in it, for all that Dimitri had encouraged him to look around. If it's available for internet nonsense, or games of some sort, he's sure that Dimitri will tell them all about it before the party kicks off into full swing. If there were other things in the room, Claude thinks they've been moved either in the resulting cleaning spree Dimitri apparently did or just moved out of the way for the party. All that's left are a few more chairs, either for sitting around in or watching the computer, plus shelves with plenty of CDs and games on them. Some of them are even fairly old.  
  
Claude and Hilda are in the middle of investigating Dimitri's music selection when he swears he hears a familiar voice from the living room, and it draws the two of them out. Ingrid is setting down an aluminum tray down with a blue-pink-white scarf hanging from her neck, exchanging words with Annette, when she notices Claude and Hilda's presence. "Oh!" she says, surprised. "I'm not the first one here after all."  
  
Winking, Claude says, "Hey, it's our first party at Dimitri's place, we had to make a good impression. Fashionably late is rather overrated as a concept." Even as he's talking, his gaze casually takes in the small gift bag she has hanging from her wrist. She doesn't say anything about it, just tucks it off to the side of Dimitri's movie rack where another small and plainly wrapped box lies out of the way. "Honestly, we had pretty good timing. We ran into Dedue on the way up."  
  
A glance to the man in question shows Dimitri quietly pushing him away from the full sink where plenty of cooking utensils are in need of a thorough rinse, despite Dedue's clear desire to help. But Dimitri can't be dissuaded, instead taking up space himself to begin cleaning so that the kitchen isn't such a mess. Annette is already done, and she waits for Dedue to lean over before she hops up with a kiss to his cheek. "I'm going to go help Mercedes and Ashe, but I'll be right back!" she announces, grinning as she leaves the kitchen area to bound out the door.  
  
That leaves Dedue to start unpacking everything from his numerous bags, and that's when Claude realizes that every single thing he was carrying was _food_. Containers and containers of food. He and Hilda boggle. "Your aunts _really_ adore you," Hilda says, stunned and moving closer to see just what kind of goodies Dedue has brought from his family.  
  
"Some of them are left overs," Dedue admits, lifting up a container so thick and full that it makes an audible _thunk_ when it hits the counter no matter how gentle he's trying to be. "However, I did prepare a few things myself."  
  
"Dedue," Claude says, watching as an entire full course meal for half a dozen people is pulled and spread out in the kitchen, "I have to say, you're making the rest of us look _atrocious_ now." A pause, and he adds, "Mostly Hilda."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"I can assure you that wasn't my intent," Dedue says, still so serious and sincere that Claude can see why him and Dimitri are best friends.  
  
"That reminds me, I need to get another container from my car," Ingrid says, heading towards the door herself. "I brought some drinks along with more meatballs. I'll be back in a few minutes, alright?" With that, she heads out into the hall again. Only a minute later, and there's another familiar voice greeting hers.  
  
Claude grins as he pokes his head out, spotting Lysithea instantly. "Let me guess, you filled out the dessert portion of the party, right?" he asks as Lysithea waves Ingrid through the elevator.  
  
Proudly, Lysithea puffs up her chest and holds out the two enormous pans she's carting around. Hopefully Dimitri didn't think Claude's friends would hold back for a potluck party. There's already so much food gathered in Dimitri's kitchen, and only a third of the party guests have arrived. "It's apple slab pie," she says. "I topped it with crumbled up oats and a vanilla glaze. Even someone like Felix will _have_ to admit this sort of thing is delicious."  
  
Hilda clasps her hands together, enamored. "I am so glad that Felix awoke something in her," she whispers. "I _love it_ when Lysithea goes all out on desserts."  
  
By the time Ingrid returns, she's managed to pull along Felix and Marianne as well- another pair who happened to run into each other on the way to the apartment, bringing with them fried chicken and au gratin potatoes respectively, along with yet another tray of meatballs courtesy of Ingrid.  
  
Honestly, they're all particularly delicious dishes as far as Claude can tell. Marianne he knows uses Parmesan cheese in her potatoes, adding a bit of a twist. Felix is the real surprise, with the smell coming from his dish being nothing Claude has ever smelled coming from fried chicken before. All it takes is some casual discussion, since Felix is honest and mostly blunt, for the sword-obsessed chef to tell some of his ingredients: soy sauce, gochujang paste, rice vinegar, and more than a few other things all mixed together to add such a good smell.  
  
The party is going great and it hasn't even started yet.  
  
Claude is hanging around the doorway, because it feels like everyone just keeps coming and coming with new food to add to basically every surface in the apartment. The kitchen island has _long_ since been covered. That's how he ends up chatting with Lorenz and Leonie when the two of them arrive, and that's what Raphael sees first thing when he steps out of the elevator.  
  
"Wow, I could smell the food as the elevator was coming up to this floor!" the blond says cheerfully, almost loaded with as many packs and bags as Dedue had been not too long ago. "Almost a shame, 'tho. I know I eatta lot, so I made sure to bring some snacks of my own." He holds up an absolutely bulging pack as he approaches the group hanging out in the hallway.  
  
What comes to mind immediately are all the cupcakes Hilda brought, the family meal Dedue still has dominating the kitchen island, Ingrid's many meatballs, the stew that was salvaged from Annette's attempts at cooking and is simmering even as they speak...  
  
Before Claude can get a chance to mention all of this, the door at the opposite end of the hallway, nearer to the elevator, opens up. Mercedes, clad in some honestly stunning crimson lipstick, pushes out an actual _cart_ full of covered pots and plates. "Oh, excuse us," she says with a sweet smile, pushing it past all of them and into the doorway. "You may want to step away from the door for a little while!"  
  
"You have an actual _cart_?" Hilda asks, delighted as she breaks away from a conversation with Dimitri to come and investigate. This is around the same time that Ashe, wearing some rather fetching silver lipstick, begins to bustle out with what looks like an honest to gods tiered cake. She gasps. "I love you people."  
  
Ashe chuckles, going a little pink. "We heard Dimitri invited more people this year, so we wanted to make sure we had enough food," he says, carefully guiding the cake in through the doorway. Almost immediately, Dimitri jumps forward to help him balance it all the way into the apartment. The absolute buffet of food has now spread over into the actual kitchen itself, and more than some of the tables too. "Annette is coming with even more!" Ashe calls over his shoulder. Sure enough, right as he speaks, Annette comes out with a large platter in her hands and a grin spread across what are now green lips.  
  
As she disappears into the apartment with more food, Raphael is absolutely _beaming_. "Guess I didn't have to worry after all, huh?" he asks with a booming laugh. "Your boyfriend's got one hell of a family, Claude."  
  
And, honestly... Raphael's not _wrong_. Claude sort of knew it beforehand, watching everyone pour in, but he can really see it as he looks into the apartment. The air filling it is comfortable, intimate, _warm_. Some of it is hard to put into words, just what differentiates a friendship from the familial feeling that winds Dimitri and his friends together. The way him and Felix nudge each other so playfully, Annette's laughter at both of them, Mercedes and Ashe tidying up a part of the table, Dedue's most obvious smile yet...  
  
It's nice. For Claude, always a people person, always wanting to see the _best_ in people... It's one of the nicest things he's ever seen.  
  
Of course, he can't resist himself a little teasing, so he smiles back to his friends and says, "He sure does. I can't wait to marry into it one day." And then he darts away, grinning so hard it hurts.  
  
The chaos he can hear at his back is music to his ears. Underneath Raphael's laughter, there's Lorenz's stunned "Wait, Claude, you're not _serious_ -" intermingled with Leonie's equally surprised "He's _joking_ , I'm positive of it", and then, the cherry on top-  
  
"MAKE HIM CHANGE HIS LAST NAME, CLAUDE!" Hilda calls after him. "Do all of us a favor! Do the _world_ a favor!"  
  
All of the ruckus is enough to make Dimitri glance away from where he's setting out some plates and other dishes for the party alongside Dedue. "What mischief have you been up to this time?" he asks, a smile making that handsome face of his positively radiant. Once upon a time, Claude had wanted to see what he could do to make such an expression appear. After a lot of testing and dating, he's pleased to say that apparently just him _being_ there is more than enough now.  
  
Claude winks, and takes some plates off of Dimitri's hands. "Mischief that would have you reacting just like them," he says playfully. When he glances back at his friends, he's glad to see Ignatz has finally arrived. Judging by the befuddled blinking he's doing, along with the way Lorenz is shaking his head, he's pretty sure his latest joke is already circulating amongst his friends.  
  
Well. It's only a joke for now, and only because they've only been dating a few months. Claude has a few more relationship milestones he wants to hit before _that_. But who can blame him for enjoying this honeymoon period in their relationship? For hoping that it stays at least a little like this, even if he knows it won't last all the time?  
  
If he can still clearly see such a scenario for a few more years.... Well. He hopes he does. He hasn't had a relationship like this for as long as he can remember.  
  
Out of the entire guest list, Sylvain is the last to arrive, and just in time. With fifteen people shoved into the apartment space, there's already plenty of chatter happening, and some sort of playlist is blaring out into the room. His whistle cuts through all the talk, and he laughs as he swans right in. He even kicks the door shut behind him. "Wow, I knew there would be a lot of people, but it's definitely a different thing entirely to see it all in action." In his hands, he's holding a couple trays himself, and a large tote bag hangs from the crook of an arm.  
  
Prying himself away from a conversation on an art exhibit in the city between Ignatz and Dedue, Claude grins over at Sylvain. "Are you always this late to this party, or did things conspire against you?" This is the same guy who managed to help him hook up with his current boyfriend, and then proceeded to not take it personally when Claude chose said boyfriend, instead even helping him not smash his face into an ice rink. Certain bonds pop up in the face of such events.  
  
Sylvain makes himself right at home, sliding the tray onto what little space is left and opening the freezer so that he can deposit a few plastic containers inside. "Hey, in my defense, it's usually all the people who wouldn't care if I was late," he jokes.  
  
"Oh, you know that's not true," Ingrid says, walking over with one hand dragging Felix along and Marianne hanging onto her other arm.  
  
Marianne gives a small and awkward smile. "Hilda especially.... was saying that she really wanted to see how good your homemade sherbet is."  
  
"So you'd be wanted for your food if nothing else," Felix says dryly, shaking his head.  
  
Speak of desserts, and lo, the sweets demon herself appears. It's almost impressive, really. Claude can't think of anyone besides Lysithea who can practically teleport, appearing right at Sylvain's side. "We should get a small taste, just to see if it's really any good."  
  
That draws a laugh out of Claude. "Before dinner?" he asks, placing a hand on his hip. "This is how you're going to end up with dentures, Lysithea."  
  
"If you tease me about dentures _one more time_ -"  
  
"Hey, a little sweetness now will just mean looking forward to dessert later, right?" Sylvain says, grinning as he forages out whatever spoons are left in Dimitri's drawers. That there are any still left is frankly a miracle. But he whips them out, handing them out to all the interested ladies present, and then Claude just because he's there. The sherbet, when uncapped, really _does_ look pretty nice for something that's homemade. A nice smooth texture, a lovely pale orange color... and their spoons all sink in quite easily before Sylvain packs it up again to hide away in the freezer.  
  
Immediately, they all make small noises of interest- besides Ingrid, clearly used to this particular dish before, who just gives a purely content sigh. Lysithea pops the spoon out to stare up at Sylvain with something akin to being _impressed_. "This is actually... _really_ good."  
  
Sylvain grins, folding his hands behind his head. "Hey, everyone likes a guy who can cook, don't they?" He winks at them all before looking to the side. "What do you think, Felix?"  
  
This is good- or perhaps purposeful- timing, since Felix has sneaked open Sylvain's tray to steal what appears to be a pig-in-a-blanket. He blinks up at the redhead, already swallowing and flicking the tip of his tongue out along his lips at what's apparently a meal worth having. "What?"  
  
All Sylvain does is smile like he's seen a work of art, and Claude glances away from the frankly embarrassing sight to check on Ingrid. Ingrid, for her part, still has a tip of the spoon in her mouth, and looks physically _pained_.  
  
Oh, good, so it's not just him. On the other hand, oh no, so it's not just him. It's one of Sylvain and Felix's _childhood friends_ , who has possibly had to see this happening for who-knows-how-long. Claude doesn't like his own prospects.  
  
Fortunately, that's around the time that Dimitri swoops in, looking fondly exasperated. "Are you all eating dessert before the main meal?" he asks, shaking his head. "Come on, everyone grab a plate and make sure to form a line. The food has been organized as best as it possibly can be, but there's still only so much room in my kitchen."  
  
Just like that, he begins bossily organizing everything, ordering everyone into a rough approximation of a line and making sure that they're all accounted for. With fifteen more people in his apartment- eight more than usual for this party- that's quite a feat, but Dimitri manages to do it well enough. So absorbed in his task, he doesn't realize Claude has shifted to being right at his side until a few minutes in, and he blinks down at him before smiling. "And just what are you doing?"  
  
Claude casually leans against him, grinning shamelessly. "Since it's your house and you're technically the host of the party, I was hoping that I could stick by you and just skip straight to the front," he says innocently.  
  
That actually makes Dimitri huff out a laugh, however he might try to hide it behind one hand. "Then I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed, as I'll be going at the very end of this line."  
  
"Aw. So I'm going to be tormented with all of these delicious smells even longer?" Claude dramatically sighs as they settle themselves, indeed, at the very back. Mercedes glances at the two of them with a small and delighted little smile. "Well, you'll just have to keep me distracted until we get to it all, Dimitri."  
  
Dimitri presses a kiss into Claude's hair, his smile felt even through the curls. "I'll see what I can do."  
  
Fortunately, the good news is that there's no shortage of things to talk about. While he'd explored the bottom half of the apartment well enough, Claude had gotten sidetracked by people, and not gotten to check out the upper half. Dimitri tells him that there's not much he's missing.  
  
He's not really a particularly materialistic person, and the upper two rooms have mainly been relegated to storage. In fact, most of the storage involves things like the decorations for his parties, and the furniture he's dragged out for tonight. With those empty, the two rooms have been transformed into simple hang out areas with seats, or board games and card games, things like that. They're even places to dip into in case someone needs a moment alone. It's apparently a first; there wasn't any need for such consideration when it was just Dimitri and his friends. It's kind of cute how excited he seems about it.  
  
By the time Dimitri has finished telling him what kinds of games he has available, classic or electronic, they're near enough to the food for both of them to start pointing out what of their friends has brought what. Team DAAM - what Claude has taken to privately referring the poly-foursome as in his head - do of course take up the vast majority of space, all of it delicious. But even if they hadn't considerately thought of all the food groups a party could need, the good news is that Leonie brought over airfried vegetables by the boatloads. What Dimitri really seems excited for, however, would be Ignatz's lemon, garlic, and sour cream pasta right at the very beginning of the island.  
  
Well. The pasta comes in at a neat second place, at any rate. By the time they're grabbing the last two plates, Dimitri tugs him down into the kitchen excitedly. "Before you filled your plate- and I know this must be terribly rude," Dimitri says, at least trying to pretend he's sheepish but still more eager than anything. "But I think you should at least have a small sampling of Dedue's cooking before all else."  
  
All the things that Dedue brought with him are actually pretty easy to pick out amongst the many other dishes shoves onto every available bit of counter space. The plates must be his, personally, because they have certain colorful patterns to them which almost seem to match the food. However, if left to his own devices, Claude isn't sure he could pick out what Dedue had made or what had been contributed by his lovely aunts.  
  
Dimitri seems to have no such problem. Instead, he happily points out some sort of deviled egg situation that, at one point, had been absolutely squeezed to the limit in a container. After the line of hungry people that had just gone through, however? Now it's a bit easier for there to be some finger wiggle room. Instead of a typical white, however, the egg 'white' has now been done a homey sort of brown, and Claude can't entirely guess just what's been balanced on top of each egg half. But the portions are generous, and colorful.  
  
"He made those," Dimitri says proudly. "Oh, there are a few other things as well, and you should try all of them, of course. However, these are the easiest to sample."  
  
Chuckling, Claude follows the recommendation and plucks up an egg half. "With how much you're hyping it up, I feel as though I might be disappointed if it doesn't make me see the gates of Heaven," he teases, before he takes a bite.  
  
He then, rather promptly, sees the gates of Heaven.  
  
It comes almost immediately after the first bite, and the second, as it releases all the flavor in a damn tidal wave upon his unsuspecting mouth, only cements the deliciousness. Claude has to freeze in place as his tongue just... takes it all in. There's just so much _flavor_ , savory and with a medley of spices, that he's not sure one egg will be enough. Stunned, he raises a hand to his mouth and just looks up at Dimitri as if _he_ can give him any answers to the miracle that has proposed to his taste buds.  
  
Dimitri only beams at him.  
  
With a partially eaten egg in his hand, Claude immediately searches out Dedue, which doesn't take a lot of effort. Some people have sat down to eat, such as Raphael with a mountain on his persevering plate, but Dedue isn't one of them. That would be because he's been slightly sidetracked by Leonie talking to him about some event at the gym. It doesn't seem serious or even meant to last all that long, so Claude doesn't feel too guilty in reaching out to lay his hand on one of Dedue's muscular arms.  
  
Once he's certain that handsome gaze is set on him, Claude says conversationally, "So this is the most amazing thing I've ever eaten, which means I have to ask: how would one join your harem?" He's pretty sure Leonie chokes on some asparagus she was trying to nibble on, but that's a personal problem she's just going to have to survive on her own. "Do I need to fill out a form? Consent to a background check? Do you need my credit card information? Because I can give that to you no problem, right now, even. Just, tell me what I need to do, and I'll do it."  
  
"That's really not necessary," Dedue begins to say, only for Sylvain to interrupt him from across the room.  
  
"GET IN LINE, RIEGAN!" the redhead yells, standing up from his seat. "We _all_ want to be in Dedue's harem, so you're going to have to get in the back, no cutting!" Leaving his food to be watched over by Felix, Sylvain comes over to join the group that's standing around and grins widely. "But let me guess, you tried one of his recipes, right? I'm pretty sure that's how he managed to snag at _least_ Annette and Ashe."  
  
Claude clucks his tongue. "Cunning," he says, grinning at the way Dedue just shakes his head at the two of them. He's not known Dedue for very long, so Claude can't say he has an absolute bead on the man's reactions... but he's pretty sure it's a fond sort of exasperation that's in the movement.  
  
"Right?" Sylvain agrees, a twinkle in his eye. "But you know what's really terrible?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"The person blocking the line has no idea he's doing it." Turning his head, Sylvain cups a hand to his mouth and calls out, "Hey, Dimitri! Dedue did great on the food this year, right?"  
  
Unlike Claude, Dimitri is a little more adjusted to the wonders of Dedue's cooking, so he'd let him run off while lingering behind to actually fill his plate up with food. At Sylvain's voice, however, he perks up, and leaves behind his dish to come over.  
  
"Oh, he always does an amazing job," he tells Sylvain and Leonie both, so utterly sincere, before his smile absolutely lights up in Dedue's direction. "Your aunts truly are wonderful people, as well, but you always make sure to bring something of your own even though you don't need to, Dedue. I really do appreciate it."  
  
Something about his demeanor says he would give Dedue one of those huge bear hugs that actually lifts a grown man off of his feet, but Dimitri is one of the people in the apartment with actual manners. All he does is instead wrap one arm around Dedue's shoulders for a quick squeeze.  
  
Dedue's smile at him is a lot more subdued, but no less genuine and warm. "I am glad that you like it all," he tells Dimitri, which only earns him a brighter smile.  
  
Sylvain gestures to them in dramatized disgust. "Look at this. He's holding up the entire line, even though he has a VIP pass right into Dedue's heart. "  
  
Shaking his head, Claude crosses his arms. " _Terrible_ ," he agrees, popping the rest of the egg into his mouth.  
  
Apparently used to this sort of silliness, Dimitri reaches over to tug Claude along. "Hush, you're going to give people the wrong idea," he tells Sylvain. "And Claude, you realize there are other foods that you should eat, don't you?"  
  
With the divine revelation a single half of an egg has brought him, that wouldn't be much of an argument, except that there are other foods made by _Dedue_ , and Dedue's aunts, who seem to have even more of a talent for cooking that they're still passing down to their nephew. Claude didn't think he was going to start off the party night by stuffing himself stupid, but now he clearly knows better for the future. He does his best to put on a little bit of everything onto his plate, a sampler of deliciousness, and it's quite the struggle. A worthy one, but a struggle nonetheless.  
  
While there are tables and dinner, none of it seems to be particularly formal. Once Claude is seated himself, he takes a casual look around even as he begins to work through his plate. He wasn't expecting any before meal prayer, although it's interesting to see Dedue and Mercedes doing their own little traditions over at the one good table while Annette and Ashe patiently wait for them. Then there are others, like Ingrid and Felix, already chowing down alongside some of Claude's friends. Apparently the rule is 'do as you please'.  
  
Exactly his kind of party.  
  
  
  
  
  
Everyone taking a seat is more so they can put their food down somewhere, have a place to just sit down and relax and return to, rather than a real and proper dinner. Everyone can eat as much as they want, finish their plate, sure... but, really? There is _so much food_. It's going to take the entire night for even this many people to work through it all, courtesy of Team DAAM and Raphael. So a lot of Dimitri's friends get up to wander off, talking to one another, flicking through the music, on and on. Claude's own friend group inevitably starts to do the same- besides Raphael, who cleans off his mountain of food first before all else and gives a satisfied whistle when he's done.  
  
The most notable example is when Felix, investigating just what Dimitri has on his systems, announces suddenly, "Who wants to face me in one of the fighting games?"  
  
As it turns out, the answer is the vast majority of the party, save for gentle souls like Ignatz and Marianne. There's so much arguing and talking about who goes first that eventually Dimitri has to fetch an actual to the gods whiteboard from one of the rooms to start drawing up an actual to the gods _tournament bracket_. "We're not playing Cruz Brothers, Sylvain!" he calls over his shoulder while carefully drawing out neat lines.  
  
"Stick Fight!" Annette calls out, hands gripping the back of the couch as she looks to him. This is a game Claude, Leonie, and Lysithea all know quite well, whistling and cheering for it, but Dimitri still shakes his head.  
  
"If we play that, then we're never going to finish it," he says, which, granted, he may have a point towards. "I have so many games, there really should be something you can all agree on!"  
  
In the end, they choose one of the _many_ anime-style fighting games that are available with a large diverse cast- in other words, a lot of different characters for a party with a whole lot of different people. Really, it's the primary reason to choose it, and some of the costumes are even pretty alright. By the time they've all come to a decision, which is mostly heated bickering between Felix and Leonie, Dimitri himself has finished the bracket and props it up near along the television sets.  
  
The opening matches for this whole mess would be Felix VS Hilda, and Dedue VS Raphael, which is _already_ shaping up to be a delight, Claude can tell. While Raphael boisterously smacks Dedue on the back, Claude grins over to Dimitri. "It looks like we got a bunch of competitive types shoved into your apartment," he says, having returned to the table so that he can finish off his dinner. While he'd signed up himself, he's right near the bottom of the bracket, facing off against Ashe. He can take some time to enjoy his food some more, and he knows a lot of others are following suit in their own way. They have time.  
  
Dimitri is in much the same position. With an uneven number of people, he's an extra round for whoever wins in the Felix and Hilda match. Smiling, he settles down besides Claude. "Well, I knew it was guaranteed to happen with my friends," he says, chuckling. "Although I'm amazed that so many of yours are the same. I didn't think Lorenz would get dragged in. It doesn't fit the... aesthetic that I suppose I see in him."  
  
"Well, that's because Leonie convinced him into it while you were getting the whiteboard," Claude says with a wink, savoring another bite. Ashe has a different style of cooking, he's found, but the food he's made is just as delicious as Dedue's. "I'd say you'd be surprised at what he can do... but he's going up against Lysithea, who has a lot more fiery competition in her."  
  
"Oh, so that will be one to watch?" Dimitri chuckles. "Well, it looks like Dedue has won his already, so we're one step closer. How good is Leonie at them?"  
  
"I mean, she beats _me_ every time we've ever played fighting games, whether online or in arcades," Claude muses, "so she's a pretty tough opponent, I would say. What about Sylvain?"  
  
Taking a bite of the au gratin he's pilfered from Marianne's dish, Dimitri smiles around his fork. "Well... He's had to deal with Ingrid, Felix, and myself for years, and I can promise that we've loved playing fighting games against each other for as long as we've known him. In fact, he often dealt with our pestering until he played with us. So I would say he's certainly had a lot of experience... and his style of playing is definitely something."  
  
See, he can't just _say_ that and not explain. Claude gets up on his knees in his seat, peering up over the cluster of bodies all gathered around the furniture by the televisions. Felix and Hilda's match is still going, unsurprisingly, because Felix had claimed that "Time out victories are for cowards" to Dimitri's immense exasperation.  
  
Yet he's quite delighted at what's happening in the opposite screen. From what he could tell when they'd all been perusing the fighting cast, one fighter in particular is something of a joke character with lots of strange attacks and fiddly movement.  
  
Yet Sylvain has managed to keep almost full health while battling down Leonie to somewhere more towards half, and Claude is _delighted_ to see that she literally has one foot planted on Dimitri's couch while leaning forward to aggressively try and get the upper hand on Sylvain. She half looks as though she's going to physically launch herself towards the screen. It's hard to tell from the combined sounds of people talking, the music playing from the speakers, and the video games themselves, but Claude _almost_ thinks he can hear her rapid clicking.  
  
He sinks back down into his seat with a laugh. "Is this how he would bully you when you were all younger?" he asks, twirling his fork inbetween his fingers.  
  
Dimitri chuckles. "Well, the rest of us always wanted to pick our favorite characters- you know. The 'cool' ones. So that would leave him with anyone else, and at one point he picked some of the sillier options to make us laugh... and then he ended up becoming terrifyingly good at them... It's that sort of thing."  
  
"No wonder Felix felt so comfortable immediately demanding a fighting game tournament," Claude says. "Oh- looks like Felix finally squeaked out a victory against Hilda. Time for Lorenz to get his life ruined."  
  
It's not that Lorenz is bad, or anything. Claude knows that he indulges Leonie in her own loves, because he's that kind of boyfriend and has really grown to value her view on things. It's just, he's going up against Lysithea, whose determination can't be denied, and has in fact gotten good at some games purely to make Claude bow to her will in some manner... even if it's just in a game that doesn't really have any bearing on anything else.  
  
So he imagines he's going to get up pretty soon.  
  
But "pretty soon" isn't "right now", so Claude enjoys his food for a little while longer. He can do that much, can't he? And there's something he's curious about as well. Finishing his latest bite, he twirls his fork around to point at Dimitri's plate. "You know, I'm starting to wonder if I should have tried my hand at some spaghetti or the like. Half your plate is filled with it... and the other half is Dedue which, frankly, I can't even begin to judge."  
  
"Oh..." Dimitri smiles sheepishly, stirring his fork around in some more pasta. "Well... It isn't that no one else hasn't made anything- I mean, Ashe is an incredible cook as well, which I'm sure you've noticed. It's just, well, I made sure that today was my cheat day, and..."  
  
"So you're going hog wild on all the cheeses and pasta you can shove into your mouth," Claude finishes for him, grinning wider at the way Dimitri tries to play it off cool even as he blushes faintly in embarrassment. "That makes sense. I noticed that you'd only picked some of the things at the very start of the kitchen line up, honestly. You know, besides Dedue's food. That's one way to go about trying such a spread, right? And Ignatz did roll lucky there, having his placed near the 'entrance', so to speak."  
  
"I couldn't resist a rare favorite right there," Dimitri admits. He takes another bite of pasta, still eating as normal, before something hits him and he looks to Claude with sudden immediate concern. "Oh- I'm so sorry, I didn't even think to try one of yours, you brought two dishes, didn't you? I wasn't even thinking-"  
  
Claude pats him down from his concern high with one hand, and pops a pig-in-a-blanket into his mouth with the other. "You don't have to apologize," he says, smiling to him. "I think we could open up our own restaurant in here with how much food everyone has contributed to the party. These plates are pretty nice- you even busted out the proper ones instead of using paper, which I'm frankly still stunned about- but they can only hold so much." A pause, and he winks playfully. "Although I _do_ want to hear your thoughts on what I made. I had to skype with my father throughout the whole process to make sure that I got everything right, after all."  
  
"Your father? _Really_? I noticed the lamb smelled _astonishing_ , and that other dish was intriguing, but I hadn't realized it had required so much work..."  
  
"Ha. Well-" But then Felix is yelling at them to hurry up, and Claude pushes himself onto his feet with a wink to Dimitri. "Tell you what. How about you deal with your fight with Felix, and I see what I can do in my match against Ashe, and then I'll tell you the whole fun story that was my morning. Deal?"  
  
Pushing his hair back out of his face, Dimitri smiles back to him. "I think that's a perfectly fine plan."  
  
When it comes to fighting games, Claude likes to think of himself as fairly decent, even though this is a new game that he hasn't really tested out before. Fortunately, it seems like Ashe is very much on the same level as him, and in the same situation. Apparently it's only Dimitri and his childhood friends who are such fighting game fanatics. That means Claude manages to slip out a victory, although he loses one match while they're both still figuring out the controls. Instead of being allowed to leave, however, Annette immediately drapes herself across Ashe's lap with the two of them laughing, and takes the controller from him. Right, right- she's the one who'd fight the winner of their match. And hey, he can understand the logic. Since he's already here....  
  
Annette is a much better fighter in the game than Ashe is, whether because she's familiar with it or whatever other reason. Still, the fight is close, and she's the one who's victorious in the end. And, hey, if Claude is the one who throws the match a little bit in the end just so that he can enjoy himself as a spectator more than anything else... Well, no one needs to know. So he slides back while Ingrid challenges Lysithea to her own little title, fetching some fried chicken before going to check out Dimitri and Felix's ongoing fight.  
  
Befittingly, Dimitri and Felix are extremely good, and so their match is certainly _exciting_. Both of them mash buttons and dodge around one another, trying to lure the other into a position or move that will work to their advantage. Claude has never been one for competitive matches on video games, but he can sort of see the appeal with all the energy Felix and Dimitri are radiating both in person and on the screen. Eventually, however, after a win for both of them that results in the need for a tiebreaker match, Dimitri emerges victorious. Felix punches him in the shoulder, but his eyes are bright and there's a fond sort of curve to his smirk even as he playfully insults Dimitri.  
  
"So, gonna be the champion of this year's fighting tournament?" Claude asks him teasingly once Dimitri vacates his seat to make room for Sylvain and Dedue.  
  
Dimitri can't help chuckling. "Well, it does tend to be me or Felix... Sylvain could be a good contender, but he tends to bow out one way or another before he ever gets to the last match." Taking Claude by the arm, he tugs him towards the kitchen. "Now, your food, yes? What is the name of your other dish?"  
  
"Don't you have another match that's going to happen soon?" he asks, amused, but lets Dimitri pull him along. "Anyway, they're called Devils on Horseback, and your plate is still at the table."  
  
"I can still have a small bite," Dimitri protests. "Besides, I want to get a taste before I forget that you reminded me. I can still get it on my plate properly afterwards, and listen to you tell your story." He pauses, getting a napkin and cutting off a tiny slice of lamb. As he does so, he leans down and inhales deeply through his nose. "Oh good... I thought that the smell was coming from this dish in particular. It's absolutely heavenly..."  
  
"I didn't know smell was going to be something I would be judged on," Claude chuckles. "Does it hold up to Dedue's?"  
  
"With smell alone? Absolutely," Dimitri says, smiling to him. From anyone else, Claude would dismiss it as just niceties, something said to make him feel good and like he didn't waste his time or energy. With Dimitri, there's all that sweet honesty, and he can feel his own smile softening. Dimitri finally takes a bite, and sighs in satisfaction. "Oh, so many spices..."  
  
"It wouldn't be a family recipe if my father didn't force me to empty the whole spice rack onto the dish," Claude says, grinning. Before he can say much more on that, however, there's shrieks and roars of laughter coming from the couch, and Claude perks up. He can't even wait a second before he's nosing over, fascinated to see what's going on.  
  
'What's going on' is apparently Sylvain having crumpled from the sofa to the floor, one hand smacking at the blanket laden ground while he nearly _cries_ into a pillow from how hard he's laughing. Claude can read _nothing_ from Dedue , who's simply sitting there with his hands patiently waiting on his controller. Their characters just idly stand in place; the game isn't even on pause. Something has happened here and he is _dying_ to know what it was.  
  
Fortunately, he has Hilda, and Hilda sidles over to him with tears in her eyes from how much she's been laughing too. "Apparently, neither of them want to face off against Dimitri," she whispers to him, grinning widely. "Sylvain was trying to wheedle him into just beating him quickly, and Dedue said, without even batting an eye-" Clearing her throat, she does her best Deep Voiced Tall Buff Man impression. " _You won't even give me this, despite wanting to be in my harem._ "  
  
Claude absolutely loses it.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The semifinals end up being Dimitri VS Sylvain, and Lysithea VS Annette. In other words, two giants duking it out and two shorties doing the same, but it's all made equal in the realm of video games. At least half the party has taken interest in other things, but the other half watches all of it to the end until Dimitri returns for another year as a winner. That's enough fighting games for most of them, who go off to finish their food, or conversation, but Felix, Ingrid, Lysithea, and Leonie all keep poking through what Dimitri's system has available. Well, whatever makes people happy.  
  
What's of particular interest is what Sylvain has decided to do with his time after being free from fighting game obligations. Claude only realizes something is up when he hears Sylvain call from the loft landing, "HEY, ANNETTE, I BROUGHT WHAT YOU WERE CURIOUS ABOUT!" before there's a distinct noise of some sort. When Claude looks up, he can see Sylvain leaning against the railing, a nerf gun in one hand.  
  
No one's been hit with anything, however- not even Annette. In fact, if anything, Annette is _jubilant_ about the news, giving a loud whoop before she literally _climbs Dedue like a tree_. Claude had always thought that was only a figure of speech. Clearly, tonight he's been proven wrong, as Annette hauls herself up with her arms around her boyfriend's neck to plant a kiss right on his jaw. She leaves behind a bright green lipstick stain right there, perfectly formed on his dark skin. He looks absolutely bewildered at this turn of events, but there's no doubting the smile on his face as he bends down so that Annette's feet can touch the ground once more.  
  
What Sylvain's done soon becomes clear; all it takes is Claude tilting his head back to look at the ceiling. There, a nerf dart sticks to the ceiling, and from it dangles some (probably fake) mistletoe with its distinct bright red. The sight makes Claude grin from where he and Dimitri are eating.  
  
Of course, Dimitri has different opinions, and he yells over to the redhead. "YOU BETTER NOT LEAVE THAT STUCK TO MY CEILING, SYLVAIN!"  
  
"What! No compliments towards my actually decent aim for once!?"  
  
"How are you going to get it _down_!?"  
  
"I'll shoot it with another one, it's fine!"  
  
"You just admitted your aim is usually terrible!"  
  
"Fine, fine- Hey, Felix!" While he had been looking over some more co-op adventure type games, the nerf mistletoe commotion had gotten Felix's wary attention to start with, and he looks as though he'll shove Sylvain out a window if that mistletoe comes anywhere near him. Instead, Sylvain waves the gun cheerfully. "Want to help me shoot this?"  
  
"So I'm going to take it that Felix's aim is a lot better?" Claude asks, grinning a little bit while Dimitri sinks his head into his hands with a sigh.  
  
"He's really not bad," Dimitri admits. "Ashe has the best aim out of all of us, of course, but, well..."  
  
"But Ashe is going to want some of Sylvain's services himself soon," Claude concludes, remembering the bright silver on the guy's mouth. "You know, I _had_ wondered if it was only the winter holiday spirit which had them all maked up."  
  
"As long as it makes them happy... and as long as I don't have to call maintenance into my room to see if they have a big enough ladder that I can borrow." Dimitri shakes his head before smiling at Claude again. "Anyway, enough about that. So, you were saying that your father was on skype, and he was demanding even more spice to be added into the marinade for the lambchops..."  
  
"Oh, yeah, he was _ridiculous_ in how I was doing everything, he was even insisting on prepping and cooking along with me to make sure I knew what I was doing." Claude chuckles, and launches right back into his story about his father.  
  
However, while he does so, and while Dimitri is distracted by his plate, Claude raises one hand and makes sure to get Sylvain's attention. Once he's sure those eyes are on him- Sylvain's and Felix's both as the other man joins his friend up on the loft landing- Claude grins and points right up over his head. Both mistletoe shooters understand instantly. Claude can tell by the way Sylvain grins, and how Felix's eye roll is visible even at this distance.  
  
Well, Felix might be exasperated at being dragged into Dimitri's love life, but he still takes the nerf gun and raises it up to aim.  
  
Finishing his story, Claude grins sideways at Dimitri. "You know, is there any sort of prize to winning that impromptu tournament? Even if only bragging rights?"  
  
That makes Dimitri laugh. "It's just a silly round of video games at a house party," Dimitri says, meeting his gaze. Good - it means he's not paying attention to Sylvain and Felix. "What sort of prize would I even get?"  
  
Claude winks. "I can think of a pretty good one," he says.  
  
_Thmp_.  
  
He kisses him.  
  
  
  
  
  
The Game-Room-Formerly-Known-As-Storage is surprisingly comfy, for a space that clearly hasn't been furnished for the job, and a group of almost half a dozen has now gathered in it.  
  
Uno is a game that can often make enemies out of friends, but maybe it'll be different for this group. After all, Dedue seems far too above petty card game murder threats, and others in the group consist of Dimitri, Ashe, and Ignatz. You know. The nice and polite types who don't know what to do if someone doesn't like them. Honestly, the biggest threat is that Hilda's a part of the group.  
  
At least, that's what Claude initially thought from his spot leaning against Dimitri's back, up until Felix pokes his head into the room thoughtfully.  
  
"Just regular rules, huh?" he asks Dimitri, shoulder to the doorframe and nerf gun dangling limply from his hands. Where Sylvain is, the real mistletoe mastermind, could be anyone's guess. Dimitri merely nods his heads, trying to shuffle and failing to do much of a good job. Embarrassed, he hands it over to Ignatz.  
  
"There are other kinds of rules?" Hilda asks, tilting her head to the side curiously. It's good she asked, because Claude would have in her stead.  
  
Smirking, Felix offers, "There's always Heaven rules."  
  
Immediately, Ashe grimaces, Dedue sighs, and Dimitri jerks his head up to sternly warn, "We are _not_ doing Heaven rules. I am stepping out of this game if you try to convince anyone to do Heaven."  
  
Ignatz, a rational young man who knows when something is going to be a terrible idea, looks vaguely worried at the reactions such a title earns. Claude and Hilda have long since shelved such preservation instincts in the name of 'fun' and 'curiosity'. " _What_ ," Claude asks, dying to know, "are Heaven rules?"  
  
Showing he's much in the same rowboat of rationality and common sense that Ignatz is, Ashe sinks his face into his hands. That's probably not going to do anything nice for his lipstick, which has already been smeared a little bit in connection to the silvery mark catching the light along the side of Dedue's neck. That also probably doesn't mean anything good for this game of Uno.  
  
Felix just smirks more, the most worrying and handsome expression has ever been on a person. "It's a set of house rules where putting down a zero forces everyone to give their hand to the person next to them, depending on what direction the game is already going. If someone puts down a seven, they get to exchange their hand with a specific player."  
  
Claude, Hilda, and Ignatz all take a moment to just.... absorb that. "Are you trying to get revenge on Dimitri because he beat you in the tournament?" Hilda asks in horrified awe. "I mean, that's really really smart, because us killing each other would leave you squeaky clean, but oh my _gosh_."  
  
"Where do you even think of that kind of rule set?" Ignatz asks Ashe.  
  
The reply is muffled. "We saw a video about it on the internet and thought it couldn't be that bad...."  
  
"Why do you call those _Heaven_ rules?" Claude asks Dimitri, who is pinching and massaging the bridge of his nose as though warding off a headache. "Those sound like _hell_."  
  
Dedue answers. "Mercedes mentioned that, before we all finished our game, at least a few of us would be in Heaven instead." He doesn't explain if they'd be in Heaven from dying of natural causes, or Uno-based murder.  
  
They play normal Uno rules. No one dies. Ashe wins, and another silvery stain gets added to Dedue's cheek as a victory prize.  
  
  
  
  
  
" _Why_ are we letting this happen again?" Ingrid asks, looking with immense exhaustion and incredulousness at the scene that is unfolding before them. Claude only grins widely.  
  
"Because it's guaranteed to be absolutely hilarious."  
  
"It" would happen to be a conversation that erupted between Sylvain and Lorenz maybe five minutes ago, where both realized the other was a notorious flirt they'd heard about in college at some point. One thing had lead to another, and, well, here they are. With two very intelligent idiots aiming to prove their flirting skills are the best in the room by flirting with whatever poor saps get placed into the seats before them. It's a community effort on deciding who gets to be in the respective hot seats for this embarrassing debacle, and everything decided via rounds of three because it's both a good number and also no more than six of them really deserve to suffer through this for everyone else's entertainment.  
  
First on the chopping block? There's Raphael for Sylvain, who Claude is almost certain doesn't realize how lucky he is. Then, in the other chair? Lorenz gets to flirt at Ashe, possibly the latter's punishment for winning in Uno.  
  
Fortunately, while he's here to enjoy the show, Claude doesn't need to pay such close attention that he has to make a call on who flirts well, or better. Those esteemed positions go to Annette and Hilda, who are watching with intent amusement and taking notes on napkins.  
  
Instead, he lets his eyes roam around the apartment. Inevitably, they return to the little spot on the other side of Dimitri's movie rack, where Ingrid had put her small parcel. Claude had gone to let his box rest in that corner, too, but a lot more things have been added to it all since he first arrived. Mostly various stiff gift bags, but a couple of boxes as well, all of them plainly decorated if they're decorated at all. Counting Claude's? There's around eight, exactly.  
  
None of them have been touched yet, so Claude lets his gaze continue roaming until he finds who he's looking for. Dimitri has drifted back into the kitchen with Dedue and Mercedes. By this point in the night, they've gone through a good portion of the actual dinner type foods, especially with some things being more popular than others. That has give some of the desserts room to breathe, and a few have already been picked at.  
  
In particular, Dimitri has indeed made not only one cheesecake but _three_ entirely different ones. Apparently whatever happened with Annette happened after he'd set them to cool, and thus they were free from the resulting disaster. They do not seem to be free from being _judged_ , however, and Claude can see that anxious scowl on Dimitri's face as he waits for Dedue and Mercedes to give their verdicts. When Mercedes claps her hands together excitedly and Dedue says something, the expression melts from his face, and Dimitri smiles in pure relief.  
  
It's a good expression, one Claude is glad to see. Smiling wide himself, he returns his attention back to the Great Idiot Flirt Off and laughs as Ashe eventually scurries off with a flushed face and Raphael hauls Sylvain into a bone breaking sort of hug. Both contestants get turned around again to face the wall so that they don't get to see who their next targets are... which means they don't see Claude sliding into the seat facing Sylvain, or Marianne for the one facing Lorenz, although she has to be guided to it by Hilda's absolutely shit eating grin.  
  
The look on both their faces when they turn around to see the would-be targets of their flirting is something Claude thinks he might just cherish a little bit forever.  
  
Claude winks, shameless and having the time of his life. "Think you can flirt better in round 2, Sylvain?"  
  
In contrast, partially because she's a good person, partially because she's a slightly _awkward_ person, Marianne doesn't do any teasing. She just raises one hand from her lap, using only her wrist, and waves slightly.  
  
"Ah," Lorenz says, in the tone of someone who is recalling a lot of embarrassing moments before him and Marianne became proper friends.  
  
"Do I have a chance to change?" Sylvain asks the judges, holding his hands out to the side helplessly.  
  
"Nope!" Annette announces cheerfully. "Now get to flirting! The clock starts..... now!"  
  
Fortunately, for all an awkward start to their history together where Marianne was left wondering who that weirdo with the bad haircut was, Lorenz has made Marianne smile in the past before, and he can do it without stupid floral based compliments. With more experience under his belt on how not to be an absolute tool, and genuine friendship, he has Marianne smiling and giggling in a matter of seconds.  
  
Sylvain seems to have slightly more of a challenge on his plate as he rubs his chin, thinking. But then he snaps his fingers and grins. "Oh, yeah, that should work." Not bothering to explain, he just sweeps his hair back... and reaches down for the hem of his shirt.  
  
" _Sylvain_ -" Ingrid begins to say, warning clear in her voice, but she's too late. She is _blessedly_ too late, because Sylvain is already sliding the shirt over the top of his gods damned head. Immediately the apartment erupts into cheers and laughter and whistles, which Sylvain drinks up as he spreads his arms wide with a grin about the same length. Honestly, he has pretty good reason to be so confident. Befitting most of the people in Dimitri's friend group, he's also astonishingly fit and in shape. No wonder he had a keyhole sweater for Dimitri to borrow; his chest wouldn't look too bad in one either.  
  
It is definitely incredibly attractive, but also incredibly _hilarious_ , and Claude has one hand to his mouth to help get his own wheezed out laughter under control. He does pretty well. At least, until Sylvain leans forward with one hand on his hip and the other hand on the armrest of Claude's chair. "So, come here often?" he asks suavely, and fucking _winks_.  
  
Whoever wins the round is an utter mystery to Claude, because that's around the time he falls out of his chair absolutely losing it.  
  
At some point, probably due to Ingrid, Sylvain gets his shirt back on only after much protest that it "was all in the spirit of the game" and "listen I know he likes a good chest, ask Dimitri". Marianne helps Claude off of the floor, also in a good mood herself as her smile shines bright, and they step away from the target chairs. Sylvain and Lorenz also seem to be in pretty good moods themselves. Even as they turn their backs to the chairs once again, they're joking and laughing with each other. Well, it was all always meant to be a game anyway.  
  
Which means they can still continue to mess around with them, of course. There are even better choices than Claude and Marianne, after all. Claude has a keen eye, and he finds his target soon enough: drifting off to the kitchen, standing near a rather satisfied Mercedes and a bashfully smiling Dedue whose chin now has crimson lipstick marks along it. As Claude heads straight on over there, he can see Hilda has very much the same idea. She's already on the move too, grinning wide as she reaches a hand out to grab a certain someone from an indepth conversation near the televisions.  
  
When Sylvain and Lorenz turn around again, it's to face, respectively, Leonie and Felix.  
  
Claude thinks he can hear the car crash happening inside their skulls. It's _great_.  
  
While he can't speak for Felix, their favorite combative white boy seems to be having a good time too, subtle as it is. He's really leaning into his own personality as he drapes his arms across the back of his seat, nerf gun dangling from his fingertips and crossing his legs with his ankle to his thigh. If there's one thing Claude has learned about Felix in the short amount of time that he's come to know him, it's that he's a _master_ of looking coolly dismissive and above it all. No wonder Sylvain has clearly been having trouble with him.  
  
Leonie at least is a little more obvious in how funny she finds this whole stupid game. With her own legs crossed, she leans forward to balance her elbow along her knee and grins. "Doesn't the timer start around now?" she asks, amused as hell.  
  
Sylvain and Lorenz look at each other, both to share in their experience of awkwardness and horror but also to gauge just how the other is reacting to this particular twist in the game. As they do so, Dimitri finally emerges from the kitchen with a plate of his own cheesecake- the strawberry one apparently. "This is ridiculous," he says mildly, with clearly no intention of stopping it at all.  
  
Under his breath, Claude laughs a little bit. "That's what Ingrid said. Well, more like she questioned why we were letting all of this happen in the first place, but the intent was the same. But while they're all preoccupied, I really have to ask: just how long have you guys had to deal with Sylvain and Felix pining away for each other?"  
  
Sylvain has been the most obvious out of the two, he thinks. It's been impossible to miss it all, from how he'd acted during the ice skating meet up to the pointed way he'd asked Felix what he thought of the food he'd made.  
  
But the signs are there with Felix, too. With his favorite hobby being people watching, Claude's picked it all up: how he'd allowed himself to lean against Sylvain under the excuse of intoxication, the way he'd pressed against Sylvain's shoulder during the video game tournament, and, in the latest mess, how he's been looking for excuses to do anything but watch Sylvain flirt with other people, no matter that it's just a dumb game.  
  
Claude has noticed all of this from only one brief get together that involved over half a dozen people, and tonight's party. As their best friends, Dimitri and Ingrid have no doubt seen _so much more_. That much had been obvious when Ingrid had made such a pained expression at the obvious needling during her sherbet tasting, and it's obvious with the thousand yard stare Dimitri casts at a wall. He doesn't even stop Claude from stealing a bit of his cheesecake.  
  
There's good reason for that, honestly, because Dimitri finally answers, "They've been like this since high school." Very politely, he lightly pats Claude's back when he chokes on stolen cheesecake.  
  
When his airway is clear, Claude glances back to the awkward stalemate of a flirting game just in time. In contrast to the previous round, Sylvain manages to react first. With an idea shining in his eyes, he looks back to Leonie with a smile and leans forward casually. "Hey there, miss," he says. "I don't suppose you're single, are you?"  
  
Half an hour ago, he shot a mistletoe over her and Lorenz's head when she flagged him down. Everyone in the room knows the answer to that. Leonie knows it too, shoulders spasming a little in silent laughter before she gets her voice under control. "Why are you asking?"  
  
"Well, it's just... I have this friend, you see." Sylvain's smile widens. "I think he'd love to meet you."  
  
The lead up seems obvious, and Leonie snorts a little bit. "Who is this friend, exactly?"  
  
"Well, he's about my height, so if you like me..." Before she can begin rolling her eyes, Sylvain keeps going. "He has really sharp features, long purple hair, and, well, if you love flowers..." To the side, realization hits Lorenz, and he has to turn away to chuckle into one hand before he beams down at Felix. Just like that, the two of them are trying to sell each other instead of themselves, to the delight and applause of the spectators.  
  
Smiling fondly at the counter twist both men have made the game into, Claude leans against Dimitri. "You know, it's kind of impressive. Sylvain seems to be a lot better at helping out _other_ people's love lives than his own."  
  
Dimitri's arm wraps around him, fingers curling on his shoulder. There's a smile in his voice, too. "It's something I've picked up on, yes."  
  
  
  
  
  
The party is still going strong when there's a knock at the door, firm and loud, that draws them all to a pause.  
  
Over by the speakers, Ingrid considerately turns down the volume just in time for Claude to overhear Mercedes concerned murmur. "Oh, I hope we weren't disturbing any of the neighbors..."  
  
Annette clenches her fists tight in front of her. "There shouldn't be! We made sure to go around checking with and bribing everyone!" The way she says it, just as bubbly and cute as is her general default demeanor, makes Ignatz do a double take.  
  
"Everyone, just be quiet," Dimitri orders, even as he makes his way through the crowd filling up his apartment. There's only a couple of stragglers who hadn't noticed what had happened, so it doesn't take much. "I'll take care of it." Which Claude has no doubt he could.  
  
He still makes sure to trail after his boyfriend. You know, just in case. Dimitri is polite and nice, which works out enough for most people, and he's muscular and intimidating to those who don't get the first hint... but it can't be too bad to have something greasing the wheels a little bit, you know? If there's anything Claude has confidence in, it's his people person abilities.  
  
Fortunately, there's no need to worry about any of that. As Dimitri opens the door, Claude peering around him, they're both caught by surprise. "I- Professor, Doctor! What are you doing here at this time of night?"  
  
"We remembered that you said you would be having a large party where you invited everyone along with those from the band," Teach 1 says, as though this isn't a strange situation whatsoever, or that their hair has made a switch from the usual blue.  
  
"We thought it would make things easier for us," agrees Teach 2, and that's when Claude manages to drag his eyes away from neon green to what the two musical therapists are carrying.  
  
Both of them have large gift baskets in their arms- the fancy kind which are made out of strands of flexible wood. Teach 1 has a blue ribbon tied around the handle, from which dangles a small lion charm. A variety of tiny packages are also in the basket, all wrapped up nicely. While each present is using blue giftwrap, the pattern for each of them is different, and a glance can tell that there are different names on each of the labels. Teach 2's basket is very much the same, only theirs is decorated in terms of yellow, and a tiny little deer charm hangs from theirs. In the case of both baskets, various tiny treats are tucked inbetween the different gifts. Nothing special, just things like bags of chocolate covered pretzels or brownie bites.  
  
"Wow, Teach! This is really generous of you," Claude says with a grin as he accepts the yellow gift basket.  
  
Dimitri is a lot more flustered as he accepts the blue. "You didn't have to go out of your way for this, Doctor, Professor..."  
  
Both siblings cross their arms in that distinctive way of theirs, heads tilting to the side in mirror images of one another. Claude always thought that the idea of twins mimicking one another was a bit of media exaggeration, but the Eisner family really just does seem to do it naturally. "It was the opposite, actually," Teach 1 says. "Since you were all gathered together so neatly like this, we thought it would be the perfect time." Teach 1 reaches over to pat Claude's shoulder. "We'll see you at the next practice session."  
  
Teach 2 does the same for Dimitri, although they really only reach his upper arm. "You're making great progress, Dimitri." With that, both of them draw their hands back, aware of how most of the party is peering over Dimitri and Claude's shoulders-  
  
And with a sharp stomp of their right feet, both Teaches slam their heads down for a dab before doing a full ass sprint down the hall.  
  
Everyone watching is left standing there for a split second in absolute silence, stunned out of their skulls, before noise and chaos erupts in the apartment. It's an absolute chorus of people wondering _did they actually do that_ and _Teach, don't go, you can stay!_ and _wait what did they give us_. There's no time to ask any of these questions to the two therapists themselves, however. In the blink of an eye, both Eisners have disappeared into the elevator and are gone.  
  
Raphael's laughter fills up the whole apartment enough to nearly push out the actual people. "I love those two!"  
  
"Weirdos," Felix says, but in a grudging sort of fondness. "Well, come on, boarhead, lets see what they dropped off for everyone."  
  
What they've dropped off is quite frankly a rather large variety of gifts. Everyone gets a little of the same something, like the dipped pretzels, but everyone also gets a small gift that's been bought specifically with them in mind. Ingrid gets a small comic and art book based off of a kickstarter of some sort with the theme being lady knights, which she'd apparently missed her chance on. Dedue gets a few bags of different seeds, apparently for some herbs he can grow even in the small space of his apartment. Lysithea gets at least five different gift cards for various dessert stores around the city, Felix an honest to god whetstone, Hilda a rare and sparkly set of nail polish... On and on.  
  
Well, it's hardly any surprise that the pair soon become the topic of conversation for the party, along with the many gifts that have been brought. Claude steals Dimitri away up to the loft landing, both of them sitting together with plates of food at their side and their gifts nearby. Dimitri has already put on the new watch the Eisner pair gifted him, turning his wrist over as he admires it. "I don't even recall telling them that I had lost one of my watches," he says with a chuckle, their legs hanging down from underneath the railing while they watch the rest of the party down below. "They really do pay close attention to the littlest details."  
  
"Only the Eisner family could keep in mind the likes and details of over a dozen people," Claude agrees, grinning as he watches Ignatz put his new camera to very good use. So many people, so many things, so many different little events- it's the perfect smorgasbord of subject matter for a young artist. "They sure helped lighten up the mood, huh? And I didn't think it could get any lighter!"  
  
"They're not very good at letting their thoughts be known... but their actions speak far more than what mere words could accomplish." Reaching down for another devil on horseback, Dimitri glances to Claude curiously. "You know, I was rather busy with the other basket, so I didn't get to see what gift you received, Claude."  
  
Claude winks. "Cold hard cash," he says. "And don't get that look on your face. This kind of thing is _exactly_ what I love to get, although I'm sure that sounds weird. Sure, movies, or books on chemistry, or anything else pertaining to my vast amount of interests- I love those. But money on its own allows me a lot of freedom, whether it's for a necessity or something else. I have a lot of things I want to do, you know? It's sort of like trust in its own way, I think. It means those two trust me to use money in whatever way I desire, and that way will be absolutely just fine. Some people get weird about money... but not them." He leans back with a chuckle. "One of the many reasons to like them, honestly."  
  
"They do have a lot of good qualities, despite their... peculiarities." Dimitri starts to smile back as well. "You know, I never thought of it like that, but you're right."  
  
"I like to think I am, ten times out of ten." Claude hauls himself up to his feet using the railing, and grins to Dimitri. "Anyway, since the Teaches brought gifts of their own, why don't I keep that feeling going on? I have champagne with our names on it." Of course, he doesn't plan on only getting the champagne. Near the movie rack, his box still stands undisturbed, and Claude cheerfully tucks it underneath his arm while his other hand carries the bottle.  
  
The friendly but confused crumple of Dimitri's brows says he has no idea what the deal is with the box. "I don't believe that's a champagne bottle," he says, smiling a little bit.  
  
Sliding back into place, Claude sets the box roughly behind them while he raises the hand holding onto two wine glasses (Dimitri _would_ be the kind of guy to have those, so Claude is glad he bet correctly) and the bottle itself. "Nope, that would be these. The box is something else entirely. Know how to open a bottle of champagne, or should I do it, as the person who brought it?"  
  
"No, no, I _think_ I can manage..." While he says that, Dimitri opens a champagne bottle like he's disarming a bomb. When he finally gets it to pop open, no disasters, he slumps backwards with a sigh. "It didn't break..."  
  
"I told you I could do it," Claude reminds him, helplessly amused while he pours them both a glass. This can be just their little treat, their moment away from all of their friends. Claude doesn't mind a party, but he thinks he rather likes being above it all with only Dimitri, too. The two of them stay there for a moment, just enjoying the champagne and the accompanying food.... But Dimitri can't stop himself from constantly glancing back at the box. Claude lets him stew in his curiosity for a while longer while they talk, before he eventually breaks. He can't wait much longer, either. "Curious, huh?"  
  
"I don't see how I couldn't be," Dimitri says plainly, smiling to him with a quirked up brow. "You go get champagne, come back with that, and then pretend that it doesn't exist. The game you're playing _is_ rather obvious." He tilts his head forward at that last sentence, smiling up at Claude from beneath his lashes.  
  
Claude sticks the tip of his tongue out playfully. "I only make it obvious for you," he informs Dimitri. "But if you're so curious, why don't you open it? You have my explicit permission to do so."  
  
"If you insist..." Setting his plate a little further to the side along with his glass so that neither get knocked into the box, Dimitri picks it up and sets it on his lap. It's a large box, large enough to take up all the space Dimitri gives it, but not so big that he honestly needs to worry. Claude lets him handle it how he likes, however, and just watches with a quiet eagerness he makes sure to keep out of sight. No fancy wrapping, no gimmick to opening it- there's just a top that Dimitri removes quite neatly. Immediately, Dimitri laughs. "My coat!"  
  
Sure enough, there it is: that brilliant blue coat with the black and white fur trim. The warmest thing Claude has ever worn in his entire life. He made sure to fold it neatly in the box, carefully fitted with no bulging that would give the contents away. Claude takes a sip of his champagne and winks. "I thought it was about time that I returned it, with the end of the year rolling around." He tilts his head towards Dimitri. "Can you check it out and make sure that I didn't miss a hole or something?"  
  
"I have faith you wouldn't be so careless." Still, Dimitri obliges him as he begins to unfold the coat out from the box... only to pause as his fingers bump into a notable bulge hidden within. He blinks, and glances at Claude from the corner of his eye. "There's... something else inside here."  
  
For anyone else, Claude would play up his ignorance. Dimitri just gets a small nod and a smile. "Why don't you check it out?"  
  
Because there's a box inside the coat, too, long and much thinner than the box the coat had been carried in. Just like its bigger cousin, this one is also relatively easy to open. There, gently cushioned and shining silver in the warm light of Dimitri's home, is a flute.  
  
Claude leans up and over, his lips pressing a soft kiss against Dimitri's jaw. "Happy Birthday, Dimitri."  
  
That one blue eye is wide as he looks from the flute to Claude, brain needing a second to process everything. "I... I didn't tell you when my birthday was, did I?" he asks, almost visibly digging through his memories.  
  
"You didn't," Claude assures him, resting his fingers along Dimitri's shoulder. "I looked online. Sylvain has you friended in a couple of places, although I don't think you've touched most of them in years. When I was thinking of the date for today's party, I thought it seemed familiar to another date I'd glanced at once... So I went to look back at some of your profiles. That's where I saw that you'd listed your birthday during this month. Not today, of course, there's a few days difference... But I figured it would be alright if it was a couple days late." He laughs softly. "I didn't realize I'd be joining in on some sort of tradition."  
  
"Of course, all of that...." Dimitri looks over his head, in the direction where the small gift pile is. "It really did just end up happening at some point, especially as I began to host these parties for all of my friends. It was a mixture of simply being more convenient and... Well." He shakes his head. "That's a story for another time. For now, this..." Reverently, he reaches down to run his fingers along the metal. "This is amazing... It must have cost so much..."  
  
"Don't worry about the cause," Claude says with a click of his tongue. "Do you like it?"  
  
There's almost no reason to ask, not with the way Dimitri smiles. "It's fantastic... But, why a flute?"  
  
"You were interested in joining the band for practice occasionally, weren't you?" Pressing his hands flat on the ground, Claude leans back so that he has an even better view of Dimitri enamored and happy. It's such a soft and quiet little thing, and he's the one who put it into existence. "I know you said that you planned on doing that when you'd made some time for it, in a few months, probably during the spring... But I figured you could get some practice in before then, if you liked. A flute especially shouldn't cause too many problems while you're living in an apartment." He winks. "I don't want your neighbors to think worse things of the strange guy who stands in front of his mailbox glaring at his cell phone bills."  
  
A slight blush lights up Dimitri's cheeks, but he's laughing as well. "If they hear this coming from my apartment, I can only imagine what their impression of me will become. But... I like it." His finger continues to ghost along the flute. "I don't think I would have thought to choose this for myself but.... It's perfect. I really do like it. I'm just terrified that I may make a mistake somehow and break it."  
  
"Well, don't worry about that." Leaning forward again, Claude rests his hand on top of Dimitri's. "I can drop by sometime, show you just what you need to do in order to take care of it and play from it. I mean, really, this is just an excuse for me to come see you a lot more anyway." His grin and laugh are equally loud.  
  
Then again, it's a good thing they're loud. Neither get a chance to last long, not when Dimitri tenderly puts the boxes to the side - coat and flute both - so that he can reach over to cup Claude's face. "You never need an excuse to see me," he says so quietly, so sincerely. "I always want to see you. No matter when, or where." And with that, he leans forward, and kisses him on the lips.  
  
Now that he's gotten to kiss Dimitri just once... Claude doesn't think he'll ever tire of it. It's just so warm, so soft, in ways he can't remember feeling before. Rose colored glasses, or just Dimitri's pure earnestness burning through even in his actions? Maybe it doesn't matter. All that matters is that Claude leans in, letting his eyes slide shut. The soft warmth of Dimitri's lips, how completely his hand covers the side of Claude's face, the comforting smell of the kitchen drifting up to surround both of them... This is all he could really want.  
  
What a way to welcome in the new year stretching ahead of them.  
  
Of course, the moment wouldn't be complete without a little commentary from the peanut gallery, best exemplified as Sylvain calls up to them. "Hey! Take it to Dimitri's room! Some of us are single and suffering down here!"  
  
That's enough to draw Dimitri away, face blazing even as he scowls down at his friend. " _Sylvain_!"  
  
Fortunately, he doesn't have to worry about being ganged up on. Dimitri has allies in the crowd, one of them being Hilda as she calls from across the apartment. "Speak for yourself, Sylvain!" Giggling and grinning, she winds her arms around one of Marianne's and leans in close against her with her eyes shining bright. "Hey, Felix, shoot over another mistletoe!" The request draws a brilliant red blush across Marianne's face, but there's no time to protest. Sipping at a soda with one hand and the nerf gun in the other, Felix takes careful aim and manages a pretty accurate shot right over both women's heads. Faintly, Claude wonders just how many mistletoe darts Sylvain packed, and if he's regretting any of it at all.  
  
Sylvain's laugh says he doesn't regret much. "Harsh, Hilda! I thought we had a _connection_!" There's no use, however. Hilda is already tugging Marianne into the kitchen, a little more out of sight from the viewpoint of the loft landing. While Sylvain laughs even more, Claude watches as, behind his back, Dedue gets jumped by all three of his partners for more kisses pressed into his skin. Poor man. He's already more lipstick than he is a person at this point.  
  
"I feel like you cheated a little bit, you know," Claude says cheekily, drawing Dimitri's attention away from where Sylvain and Felix are bickering in low voices. "You didn't even ask Felix for some mistletoe."  
  
Another blush rises up onto Dimitri's face, and he ducks his head down with an embarrassed chuckle. "He's already had to deal with us once tonight. I don't want to bother him much more." He glances back down at Felix and Sylvain. Claude does too, and gets to see the way Sylvain is leaning towards Felix with his hand lingering on the nerf gun. More specifically, instead of the gun, his hand lingers on Felix's fingers at the trigger. For anyone else, the intent would be obvious, just like Sylvain's smile, but Felix is the type who seems just a little bit oblivious. Claude wishes Sylvain all the luck he can spare him. "Although, with that considered... Could I ask a favor, Claude?"  
  
Tearing his gaze away from the romantic disaster happening beneath their feet, Claude grins. "Sure, what do you need?"  
  
"Could I... cheat a little more?"  
  
The grin on his face must be absolutely stupid. Claude doesn't really care. "I'd be _delighted_ if you cheated a little more."  
  
Dimitri kisses him again. This time, they don't get interrupted.  
  
  
  
  
  
The party is great- probably one of the best Claude has ever been to considering the combination of food, activities, and, most importantly, people. But all parties have to end eventually. The human body can only have so much fun... Or, at least, stay up for so long. Soon enough, it's not only Lysithea who's yawning, and even Raphael occasionally wipes at his eyes. Before anyone has a chance to excuse themselves, however, Dimitri casts a concerned glance at them all and shares it with Mercedes.  
  
She's the one who speaks up, hands raised in front of her and fingertips touching. "You know, it _is_ rather late," she says, which is something of an understatement. It would now be more accurate to say that the time is now extremely _early_. "Would some of you like to stay the night?" She looks over to her partners. "I think we should have enough room, if we make a little space, and a few people share..."  
  
There's apparently hardly any reason for her to even check in with them, besides simple common decency. Dedue is already nodding to her, while Ashe and Annette look positively revved up to go. "No one should have to walk in the cold and dark back home! It's _freezing_!" Annette says, fists clenched.  
  
Ashe just smiles, sweet and nice as usual. "It may be a tight squeeze in our apartment... But if some people wanted to share a couple of rooms, I think we could manage it. All of us share one bedroom, when we go to sleep, so things should be manageable."  
  
"Anyone who can't fit in their apartment is also more than welcome to stay in mine," Dimitri offers immediately, right on the tail end of Ashe's words. "I have a few air mattresses that should be serviceable, and my couch unfolds as well. All of my rooms are more than available."  
  
Predictably, Raphael gives a wide and beaming grin. "That would work out just great for us!" he says, his hand smacking along Ignatz's back. It says something about either Raphael's control or Ignatz having some sort of hidden superstrength that the shorter man doesn't go tumbling face first into the floor. "Me and Ignatz here, we were worrying about all this mess being tough to clean up. But if we stay the night, then we can just help right now, or in the morning!"  
  
Ignatz straightens up his glasses, which didn't weather Raphael's friendly smack as well as he did and are on the verge of falling from his nose. "Are you certain it wouldn't be any trouble?" he asks Dimitri. "I don't want us to be too much of an imposition."  
  
"Not at all," Dimitri promises. "Frankly, that you want to help with the clean up would be a great deal of help. I exhaust myself when it's only me."  
  
After that, well, everything just tumbles into place, and soon it's decided that everyone is staying. Most of the girls end up going over to the Team DAAM apartment, since Mercedes and Annette combined mean that they'll have spare clothing to sleep in. That includes Leonie and, well, where Leonie goes, Lorenz follows after, since that means they as a couple can share a room. (It takes about ten minutes for Leonie to convince him that nothing _improper_ is going to happen, they don't live in the Victorian era.) Ingrid is the only one who stays behind in Dimitri's apartment, being a childhood friend who is more than comfortable just crashing on his couch.  
  
That leaves, in the end, Sylvain, Felix, Ignatz, and Raphael to also stay the night. And, well, Claude, of course. There's hardly any question of it, especially not after, once he's finished suggesting Sylvain and Felix share a room, Dimitri turns to him with a hopeful smile and says, "You're staying the night as well, aren't you, Claude?"  
  
Of course he is. Nothing could keep him away.  
  
Staying the night at Dimitri's after the end of the year party seems to be _another_ tradition that everyone seems to expect, because Dimitri has some cheap but decent spare toothbrushes all ready for such an inevitability. They're still in their cardboard packaging, too. A little cleaning up in the kitchen, a little freshening up in the bathroom for all of them, and they're really all mostly set once the bed situations have been cleared up. Apparently, the blanket-pillow hell in the game room means most of Dimitri's guests have a pretty good amount of comfort available to them.  
  
Claude gets access to Dimitri's bedroom. That means, as far as he's concerned, he gets the most comfortable sleeping conditions of all.  
  
Still, he's a good boy, a polite boyfriend. He waits until the cleaning is done, and everyone else is settled in their own beds. Only then does he exchange smiles with Dimitri, and let the blond open the door for him.  
  
All he'd gotten before was the briefest of peeks into Dimitri's room beforehand, and the condition of it had sure been _something_. Dozens of things had been scattered along the floor, with a great deal of it clothing, along with a few books if Claude is recalling correctly. Probably a few bits of garbage that had strayed from their home in a trash can, or off of a flat surface.  
  
It had been the kind of state that one would think of the glowering hooligan Dimitri had first come off as, but not exactly the strictly polite viking that Claude is currently dating. Well, maybe he can't really judge. No one would think he has so many books that his shelves can't hold them all, or that they're scattered throughout his room in an enormous mess.  
  
That was Dimitri's room a few weeks ago, however. Tonight, it's squeaky clean- the kind of room Lorenz would approve of in its neatness. A sliding door closet is tucked against one wall, no sign of mess or clothing threatening to bulge out from it. Up against the same wall as the door into the room is a relatively large desk, but only relative in relation to _Claude_. For Dimitri, it's probably perfect, and organized, too. There are a few different small leatherbound journals, a variety of pens and pencils in both a fancy pencil holder and just a random coffee mug, different folders... Hanging right above it is a calendar, brightly colored words marking out important dates. Claude notes that the date for Dimitri's own birthday is left casually blank.  
  
He's endeared to see that the date for this party has been highlighted in practically a rainbow of colors, with the day before- two days before, really- marking down _cheesecake prep_.  
  
A laptop has been left hooked up on top of a dresser that seems to match the desk, and some picture frames are actually spread across it. One is fairly obvious, four kids all with distinct hair colors that give them away. In that one, Dimitri still has both eyes, and they're all grinning widely.  
  
Another is a leap in time, with all of them closer to the ages Claude knows now. They look a little more weary, worn down, but they're all still smiling like it's a relief to be clustered around Dimitri in what looks like a nice park somewhere. Nowhere that Claude knows exists in this city, anyway. After that is a much older kind of picture, detailing a pair of people who Claude can only imagine are Dimitri's parents, smiling for some sort of staged photo.  
  
Finally, there's a bookshelf nearby that Claude glances over with his insatiable hunger for knowledge- okay, so, "glances over" might be putting it a little bit lightly. Before Dimitri has even stepped into his own room, Claude is already over there and thumbing through to see just what his boyfriend is into on the literary front. "Are you... going to read before we go to bed?" Dimitri asks, and Claude doesn't need to look to tell that he's blinking at him in plain ol' puzzlement.  
  
Dimitri, for the record, seems to be into a lot of self help books, plus some biographies. Notably, a few of those biographies are in the form of comics. Claude has to force himself to put his selection back, because he _is_ tired... or, at least, he's tired right now, and he knows that, once he picks up a book, he won't be tired any longer.  
  
Which would be a shame, considering that Dimitri is waiting for him, and Claude would rather like a repeat of that one night a few weeks ago... only in the comfort of a bed instead of them drifting away together on the couch, watching a movie.  
  
"Nah," he answers airily. "I was just wondering. I guess I couldn't help myself. So, am I going to be wearing your clothes tonight as well?" He winks playfully at Dimitri, and relishes the way his boyfriend not only blushes, but... _looks_ at him. Completely focused, and with a flicker of something darker in there. Dark in the good way.  
  
Whatever thoughts he might be keeping locked away in that head of his, Dimitri still stays polite, because of course he does. Giving a small nod, he moves over to his drawer and tugs one open. "I have a few things that shouldn't be a problem," he says, handing over a large sweatshirt that should more than keep Claude warm and a pair of sweatpants that don't match it. "I should change as well."  
  
"Then I guess it's a decision of who goes to use the bathroom to change, right?" Claude chuckles. "Well, I'm the guest, so I'll go with that. It'd be pretty arrogant of me to take your own bedroom, right?"  
  
He's expecting one of a couple different answers he's formulated in his head, all based off of what he knows about Dimitri. One could be Dimitri insisting it isn't a bother, that it's just his duties as a host. Another option is Dimitri agreeing, a little embarrassed. He could even suggest they both use the bathroom, one right after the other. Instead, Dimitri chooses the one Claude _hadn't_ been entirely confident about, but the one he'd been _hoping_ for, when he glances at him from underneath his pale bangs and quietly suggests, "Actually, I was thinking perhaps we could both simply change in here."  
  
Among two friends, such a suggestion wouldn't be a big deal. Maybe even among two complete strangers- just look at the locker room in Captain's Gym. Yet among _them_ , hearing those words from Dimitri's lips sends a faint shiver of antici _pation_ through Claude's spine. "Yeah," he breathes out, trying not to seem too eager for such a little thing. "Yeah, I guess we could, couldn't we?"  
  
Such a little thing... But little in the same way a single drop of rain is little, and one looks up to a gray and bloated sky to see if a torrent falls. _Hopes_ to see a torrent fall after it, to wash away things in a comforting white noise.  
  
He doesn't want to push Dimitri in any one direction, however, so Claude plays it cool, natural. While Dimitri goes to grab a spare of clothing for himself, Claude reaches down for the hem of his shirt and pulls it over his head in one smooth movement. It gets set to the side, soon followed after by his boots. He's working on his belt and pants, not even bothering to tug the former off all the way... when something ghosts up along his spine.  
  
Claude freezes, heart fluttering in his chest and up to his throat. Those fingers freeze, too, just barely on the skin between his shoulder blades. "Sorry," Dimitri breathes, voice just barely quietly enough to avoid breaking this spider's thread of tension that's hanging between them. For all that he says that, Dimitri doesn't pull away.  
  
All Claude can do is swallow his heart back down into his chest. "Don't be." He finally manages a quiet laugh. "I mean... We're boyfriends, aren't we?"  
  
"That doesn't mean I can do just as I like," Dimitri protests, still so earnest and _noble_ , Claude's very own Prince Charming that he genuinely never thought he'd get to have. A Prince Charming that's maybe being just a little bit too dense and hesitant right now, but before Claude can say that, Dimitri continues on, voice dropping soft again. "But... I would very much like to touch you."  
  
Claude laughs again, a little excited, maybe even a little _nervous_ from how excited he is. "Funny. I'd very much like that too." He'd grin over his shoulder, toss out one of his trademark winks, but he doesn't dare to. Doesn't want to. Part of it is still not wanting to scare Dimitri off, to discourage him in any way, but, honestly, he kind of likes _this_ , too: waiting, his heart thudding in his chest, those fingers electric on his spine, unable to tell what Dimitri will do next and excited for what comes.  
  
Before he can ponder if he needs to be more clear, more obvious, those fingers press more firmly against his back until it's Dimitri's entire palm that's sliding back downwards. "Then..." An even firmer touch, now, and he can _feel_ Dimitri pressing close, his breath tickling the strands of hair on top of Claude's hair. They must be only inches apart, now. Maybe less. _Hopefully_ less. "It seems we're in agreement."  
  
When Dimitri finally leans his head down to press a kiss down against Claude's neck, he's ready for him as he reaches back with one hand to tangle his fingers into that styled blond hair. That's all the prompting Dimitri needs. In no time at all, he's sliding his other hand around Claude's side until it's resting so _tantalizingly_ on top of his stomach, fingers pointed down to the hem of his pants that Claude still hasn't taken off.  
  
Claude gasps, shivering and moving against Dimitri, and he can't tell if it's his hand or the way his mouth is finally moving against his skin that gets him. Dimitri is a little rusty, a little out of practice, but he catches up quick... and _more_ than makes up for it with the hunger thrumming through him that Claude can feel just as easily as his lips, his teeth.  
  
"I should probably not have done this," Dimitri admits in a hushed whisper against Claude's shoulder, where he's probably worried a hickey into existence.  
  
Honestly, Claude is more fine with a hickey ( _more_ than fine) than he is with the words his boyfriend has just spoken, and he lets his head fall back with a groan. His skull taps quite neatly against Dimitri's shoulder. "Is this because we're supposed to be going to bed instead of getting frisky?"  
  
"Well, yes, but also there are five other people in my apartment right now, and there are no end of words for what I would feel if I woke them up with, well. _This_."  
  
Ah. Right. That _is_ a bit of a problem, and Claude sighs. He really would feel terrible if Raphael and Ignatz overheard him getting railed by his boyfriend. (Sylvain would just offer a high five, he suspects, and Ingrid and Felix would sooner kill someone than feel really _embarrassed_ about it.) That doesn't mean he can't finally twist around in Dimitri's arms to tap his finger against the blond's nose. "Should have thought of that before you got me all worked up, shouldn't you?" he says, smirking a little and raising one eyebrow. "I was wondering why a guy like you would jump the gun."  
  
Dimitri looks so _terribly_ sheepish as he hunches up his shoulders. "I know. I truly did think I could hold on. But when I looked back and saw you...."  
  
He falls obediently silent when Claude very seriously places a finger to his lips. "If you keep telling me how attractive I was, and how badly you wanted to touch me, all while refusing to go further, I _will_ cry. You terrible tempter, you. Do you have any idea what you do to me?"  
  
The smile underneath his fingertips twitches up in something a little more playful and shy. "If I had to make an educated guess... then I would say it is perhaps the same thing that you do to _me_."  
  
Oh, the words that come out of this man's mouth. Claude feels himself melt a little bit, there in Dimitri's arms, even moreso than when he'd first felt that touch against his bare skin. He's never had a partner, for any length of time, that says such earnestly _romantic_ things. Sure, some of his dates would do it, but Claude likes to think of himself as being pretty damn sharp. He's seen through the fake bullshit more times than he can count.  
  
But Dimitri means it. Every single little word. The way he looks at Claude, single blue eye so brilliant in its adoration and attraction, leaves no doubt whatsoever.  
  
"That's it," Claude says, rolling his head back with a groan. "One of us needs to finish changing in the bathroom. I'm literally dying here as it is, and I have no faith whatsoever that we'll be able to keep our hands to ourselves if this goes on." They're already failing on the hands part, as a matter of fact.  
  
That doesn't mean he's anymore disappointed when Dimitri finally manages to pry his grip away from Claude, an action which leaves him unbearably cold where his boyfriend's warm hands once were. Claude's always been sensitive to cold temperatures... but he thinks this has nothing to do with that. Absolutely nothing at all. "I swear I can hold myself back this time," Dimitri promises. "I will turn around and stay properly turned around until we are both completely changed."  
  
Claude thinks he's on the verge of death for that agreement, but, fortunately, only the verge. If Dimitri had also taken his shirt off, he thinks he'd be a doomed man right about now. Instead, he sighs and nods. "That really would be the responsible thing to do.... Although I do wonder what you're going to do with the two of us _sharing a bed_ , Dimitri."  
  
"I suppose I shall have to perish," Dimitri says bluntly, and sends Claude _careening_ into a fit of laughter. Literally, careening, he has to crumple over against Dimitri's bed and muffle his shrieks with a pillow. At some point, he can feel Dimitri's hand rubbing at his back, helping him get it all out.  
  
"Oh gods," he gasps when he's finally done, wiping at his eyes. "Alright, I think I might actually be able to do it now. My entire torso hurts. I love you." Vision clearing, he looks up at Dimitri and laughs again. "Wait, did you do that on purpose so that you could change without me watching?"   
  
Sure enough, Dimitri is in an entirely new set of clothes, a simple tank top and sweatpants because he's a viking who doesn't fear the cold. He's also grinning a little, verging between sheepish and pleased. "I had thought you might find it amusing. Clearly, I underestimated the effect." He holds up the change of clothes meant for Claude.   
  
Just in case, to keep them both from temptation, Claude slides the shirt over his head first before he shimmies out of his pants beneath them. "How dare you have a cunning about you," he teases, grinning widely at Dimitri to let him know he's teasing. "You're supposed to be just a pretty face." With his replacement sweatpants on, crumpled around his feet, Claude takes a minute to dig through his pants pockets until he can pull out his phone. It never hurts to keep his phone nearby, for whatever reason, so he sets it on the small table besides Dimitri's bed along his lamp and alarm clock.  
  
Dimitri doesn't take offense. All he does is give one of his ridiculous smiles. "You think I'm pretty?"  
  
Another tap to his nose. "Sometimes I can't tell if you're oblivious," Claude announces, "or purposefully ignoring things that you don't care to hear. Now come on, or we'll never get to bed."  
  
"I do apologize for delaying so long." With that, Dimitri finally wraps his arms around Claude to heft him up onto the mattress himself, still smiling all the way until he's joined him and the blankets are pulled up over them both. Claude sighs in contentment, wiggling closer against Dimitri's sturdy body.  
  
For all that his boyfriend might be a viking, or a hairless polar bear, or a descendant of snowmen, at least he still understands how blankets _should_ be. For Dimitri's bed, they're nice and thick and _warm_. Granted, maybe five more could be added, and then it would really be perfect.... but Dimitri's embrace is a decent enough substitute.  
  
Not that they can snuggle just yet. While he wraps one arm around Claude, Dimitri reaches up with his other. "Ah, actually, hold on just one moment-" There's one last thing he has to take care of, something rather obvious. The eyepatch gets slid off from around his head, hair catching on it before flopping back into place, and Dimitri gingerly sets it besides Claude's phone. Amongst the scarring there, a prosthetic eye blindly looks at Claude. "There." Sinking back against the mattress, against Claude, Dimitri smiles slightly. "You know... You're the first person I've dated who I've slept in bed with. And I do truly mean _slept_."  
  
Resting his head against the pillows, Claude closes his eyes. He's listening, of course. He just figures he should pretend he's getting ready to sleep, if absolutely nothing else. "Oh yeah? I suppose it would feel a little awkward." It's a show of trust, of vulnerability, of _intimacy_... but it's a little bit of a gruesome one. For some people, it even crosses the line from gruesome to 'completely disfiguring' or 'pitiful', and, well. There's no helping those who are shallow.  
  
"That's right... I've dated a little bit in the past, although not for quite a while now, but I never felt entirely comfortable." His hand ghosts along Claude's cheek. "...I can't feel anything but comfortable when I'm with you. Thank you for that."  
  
Claude realizes that closing his eyes has no doubt inadvertently saved his life. If Dimitri's tone is like _that_ all on its own, soft and sincere and adoring... The look on his face would surely strike him dead. Heat is already rising up along his face, proving there's no need for five other blankets if Dimitri is going to keep talking to him like that. "It's hardly anything to thank me for," he murmurs, wiggling closer against Dimitri's body. "Now go to sleep, hm? Or we really will get tempted again." Especially him, in the face of such love.  
  
Dimitri's lips press against his forehead, curved in a smile Claude knows by heart now.... and then, somehow, they fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know what I did with that ending, no, I'm not sorry. 
> 
> Anyway! Sorry this took so long to get cleaned and posted. I realized that the rarepair week for the Katekyo Hitman Reborn was coming up and had to rush and write 8 different fics, since I didn't want a repeat of last year where I did it the week before, ha ha. For anyone interested, it starts on June 21. Then, AO3 did its maintenance, and Yahoo was a pain in the ass about that as well. 
> 
> Back to this fic.... But this chapter was actually what I've been working up to all this time! When I first started writing V3, I only knew that I wanted to write 2 things: Chapter 1/2 (which was meant to be a oneshot before it spiraled out of control) and this chapter. This became the much larger fic that it is because I was trying to figure out how to get here all along, ha ha. 
> 
> Of course, as I did that, I was constantly fighting to stay focused and *not* make this a Dimitri/Claude/Felix/Sylvain fic. And then I had to stop myself from just making the end result some sort of Lion/Deer poly commune full stop because I enjoyed the image of this chapter on the journey I took to writing it and everyone having a good time together... You think I won't stan Raphael/Sylvain? I will. 
> 
> But I managed to hold myself back and focus on just one primary ship for this fic... Whew. 
> 
> Also, I will freely admit there is a huge Dedue bias to this chapter lmao... Dimiclaude might have been what got me into FE3H, and my favorite ship right now, but Dedue is flat out my favorite character... I'm a sucker for tall buff guys who are Soft, okay. He told me with that face that he likes gardening, and my queer ass was sold instantly. 
> 
> As a note, I also 100% RNG'd and drew up an actual to god fighting game tournament bracket for that little scene, because I'm a sucker for details like that. Once match ups for Round 1 had been decided, I then decided who would win based on personal headcanons for how much they cared about fighting games. It's roughly, in terms of ranking:  
> S Rank - Dimitri, Felix, Sylvain, Ingrid  
> A Rank - Dedue, Lysithea, Leonie, Hilda  
> B Rank - Annette, Lorenz, Ignatz  
> C Rank - Ashe, Mercedes, Claude, Raphael, Marianne
> 
> At least, for typical fighting games, like Blazblue. I imagine Claude is a lot better at ridiculous games like Stick Fight: The Game. Imagining the Faerghus Four as the type to excitedly spend time after school at arcades is really cute and fun image, in my opinion. 
> 
> I also though in depth on the kind of food everyone brought in, although I will say if there's a dish you didn't see but want to be there, then it probably is courtesy of Dedue, Ashe, and Raphael, who, in my notes for this chapter, I wrote "so much food oh my god", "S A M E", and "so much" respectively, along with Mercedes who covered the bread and desserts section. For everyone else, there's a food blog I actually follow, so I randomized what they'd bring! A list, plus the occasional recipe for those interested or who need a reminder: 
> 
> Dimitri:  
> \- Strawberry cheesecake, lemon cheesecake, chocolate chip cheesecake  
> Hilda:  
> \- bakery bought cupcakes in various flavors  
> Claude:  
> \- spice marinated and grilled lambchops  
> \- ( https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/spice-marinated-and-grilled-lamb-chops )  
> \- devils on horseback  
> \- https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/215385/devils-on-horseback/  
> Ingrid:  
> \- glazed meatballs  
> \- https://www.theironyou.com/2016/10/glazed-korean-style-meatballs.html  
> Lysithea:  
> \- crumb topped apple slab pie  
> \- https://www.cookingclassy.com/crumb-topped-apple-slab-pie/  
> Felix:  
> \- korean fried chicken  
> \- https://foodffs.tumblr.com/post/611146242335096832/korean-fried-chicken-follow-for-recipes-is-this  
> Marianne:  
> \- potato au gratin  
> Lorenz/Leonie:  
> \- air fried Mediterranean vegetables  
> Ignatz:  
> \- lemon garlic sour cream pasta  
> \- https://thecookreport.co.uk/lemon-garlic-sour-cream-pasta/  
> Sylvain:  
> \- homemade peach sorbet and pigs-in-a-blanket (with various seasonings added to different ones, along with the occasional surprise inclusion of cheese) 
> 
> No one really needed all of this detail, but I put the effort into looking it all up, so y'all got it anyway. 
> 
> The Uno Rules Felix references are based on Uno: The Movie, where a group of jackasses play virtual Uno with custom rules that threaten to kill them. Congrats, boys. 
> 
> Dimitri getting a flute for the activist protest band is something I checked in with Courtney on as well, who told me what every single Blue Lion would play at the same time. Things like that are why I love Courtney.
> 
> Ch. Title isn't just about romantic love, ftr!
> 
> Anyway, that's it for this chapter, and my usual long rambling about it! I hope everyone stays safe in these times, whether from sickness or engaging in protests. Take care and be well.


	9. putting the "d" in claude

Ages ago, Claude set up a particular ringtone on his phone for Lorenz. Beforehand, it had only been a basic ring. Nothing special. But then he started to become an actual friend, less of a tool... and so Claude actually cared about personalizing Lorenz's existence on his phone. It was something he only did for people that were personally important for him.... or, you know, if he thought of something funny or meaningful enough to attribute right off the top of his head. The same with attaching a picture to their contact information; Lorenz is a blue rose.  
  
Yet Lorenz really does seem to hate it whenever he hears it blare out from Claude's phone, for some reason. It's such a rare occasion, honestly, that the other man always ends up forgetting about it... and is completely surprised whenever he hears it from Claude's phone.  
  
Fortunately Lorenz is in another apartment when "Pretty Fly For a White Guy" sounds off from besides Claude's head, drawing him out of his sleep. He's already fumbling to grab his phone, turn it off if nothing else, but it's already done with by the time his fingers find contact.  
  
Lorenz knows Claude well at this point; he always picks up almost instantaneously when his phone goes off. Anything later than that means one may as well hang up and try some other time. Yet what follows are immediate vibrations in his palm as a series of text messages arrive, one right after the other. Those, well, those Claude can deal with better in the morning.  
  
He skims over it all, committing the words to memory for when he's a little more awake, before quietly putting his phone back. It's nothing important, so he can steal a few more minutes snoozing in, wrapped in Dimitri's warm arms. The last time was nice, but not completely perfect, thanks to a crick in both their necks from sleeping on the couch. But this - the pillow under their heads, blankets pulled snuggly over them, Dimitri's breath tickling through his hair, legs tangled together - that's a little closer to the perfection he's looking for.  
  
A few other changes would make it the really ideal experience, Claude muses as he begins to lean back, but sometimes it's the road to perfection that makes it perfect instead of rushing straight towards it-  
  
Claude comes to an abrupt stillness as he settles against Dimitri. Oh. Now _there's_ something against his hips that he hadn't noticed before. A rather.... _hard_ something, just soft enough to give a bit in response to the pressure of Claude's body resting against it. Behind him, he can hear Dimitri's breath hitch before giving up in a sigh. Claude's grin couldn't grow wider. "Morning, Dimitri."  
  
  
  
  
  
Well, there go his plans of getting out of bed without alerting Claude.  
  
Not that those plans were happening at all, Dimitri supposes. He's been awake for around ten minutes, with nothing to show for it, besides his own morning arousal that's been terribly encouraged from Claude's.... everything, he supposes. Dimitri is no stranger to, er, morning wood, but it's never been a problem before. It's never been this _bad_ before, honestly.  
  
Then again.... Perhaps there's no helping that it's as painfully hard as it is. Not with the way Claude fits so perfectly against his body, just shorter enough than him that he fills all of Dimitri's gaps, radiating warmth like the sun, a star. Not with how his head slots perfectly underneath Dimitri's chin, allowing him to take in deep breaths of fading cinnamon and lingering warmth of kitchen scents.  
  
How can he not feel something stir in the pit of his stomach as he wakes up to look down at Claude, sweet and warm and smiling in drowsy contentment, happy to be here in his arms instead of anywhere else?  
  
There's something to be said about how precious love is, how grateful he is to have finally found someone who nestles against him with so much affection.... and how all of that feeds into arousal.  
  
A lot of arousal.  
  
He feels rather ashamed now, with Claude having stirred himself awake to glance back at him with that sly expression he wears so well. It's not a judgmental look, which is a good thing, so Dimitri, having already given up on hiding any aspect of this morning, speaks up. "Good morning, Claude." He resists the urge to shift or squirm, knowing full well it will only grind him against Claude further. Not only would that be _atrocious_ manners, he's fairly certain he might- well. There are certain things he feels he would be terribly tempted into doing if he were subject to anymore of such delicious friction.  
  
Not that it's entirely within his control, now that Claude is awake and giving him that grin. "Oh, I would say it's definitely a _very_ good morning, considering what I've woken up to," he purrs, not yet teasing Dimitri further although it would be incredibly easy to do so. They both know it, too; it feels not too unlike a moment of calm before the storm... and Dimitri can't tell if it's because of how easily Claude could push this further or how how close Dimitri is to snapping. "Have nice dreams?"  
  
Honestly, he hasn't dreamed much of anything for a while now, but Dimitri feels that isn't particularly important right now. Especially since... "Nothing that compares to the reality I have in my arms." Claude's skin darkens when he blushes, a deep sort of red beneath all the brown, and Dimitri loves seeing it every time. It looks so good on him. But now isn't the moment to get distracted. That's been his problem ever since he woke up. "I, er, am sorry for this, however. And after I had struggled so much last night that I almost made it a problem..."  
  
Claude finally moves, laughing as he rolls over in order to smile up at Dimitri properly. The way this has his hip grind straight against Dimitri's cock is _agonizing_ , but his smile is a fine distraction. "It is a little silly after how you tried to fight it," he says, hand settling on Dimitri's side. "But I think I would prefer if you didn't keep your promise. Instead of perishing..." His hand drifts underneath Dimitri's shirt, sliding along bare skin. When he hears the way Dimitri's breath catches, Claude's eyelids dip halfway in clear interest. "I think I would prefer if you stay right here."  
  
It's hard to refuse him like this, when his fingers are so warm and firm as they brush along the very bottom rib and ghost over the hard curve of his hip. Dimitri sighs, head rolling against the pillows, and wonders when the last time someone touched him like this was. A long time, he's fairly certain. Extremely long. "Claude..." Before he can speak, Claude interrupts, voice gentle as the way he kisses Dimitri's collarbone.  
  
"I know- worried about everyone else, right?" Dimitri can literally feel the way Claude's lips curve in that pleased smile of his. "Well, put your worry back in its box where it belongs. That message I just got was from Lorenz, saying he and a few others were going to head out to grab some things for breakfast. You know, create a little and cheap fast food buffet here in your apartment so that we can save last night's leftovers for lunch. Something to look forward to after we clean up. Fortunately, that group seems to include everyone who was staying in your apartment.... So, right now, as of _very_ recently, we have plenty of time... It's just you-"  
  
His lips almost seem to leave a burn mark where he kisses Dimitri's jaw.  
  
"-and me."  
  
Five little words, five simple syllables, and Dimitri's self control frays through completely. Reaching up, he takes Claude by the chin so that he can tilt his face up. They really do fit perfectly together, and it shows even more here... because he barely has to move his own face until their lips are connecting, a morning kiss that he's been waiting for all this time.  
  
They've kissed before by now, of course. Dimitri couldn't forget it if he tried- the fragile but concentrated warmth of Claude in his arms, how very neatly it had felt to hold him so closely, the way the drifting snow had seemed to disappear with all that mattered being Claude there against his lips. But, well, they'd been in public, and their friends had been there... There had been _limitations_.  
  
No such thing holds them back now. Now, there's only him, and only Claude, and their hands roaming along each other's body. In the privacy of his room, the privacy of his _apartment_ , they can kiss as slowly as they like, a languid exploration for one of the last things in their relationship. Dimitri takes full advantage of the moment now that he has it, kissing Claude deeply until it's like he's mapped out every little inch of him, through mouth and hands both.  
  
When they finally pull away, Dimitri _feels_ breathless even though he's fairly sure he's not. At some point in their kiss, Claude's fingers have slid a little more towards his front, teasing at the hem of his sweatpants and the faint trail of gold that lies there. Things... could go very far, very quickly, here, and that's something Dimitri has known since he woke up. Perhaps it's thanks to that preparation that he can focus instead of getting distracted by the pads of Claude's fingertips. "How far do you want to go?" he asks, voice a little low from how deep and long he's been kissing Claude.  
  
Well, Claude must like _something_ about that. So close, it's impossibly for him to miss the way Claude's eyes darken, pupils blowing out, and his tongue darts out to wet his lips. "There are a lot of things I would like to _really_ go far on," he murmurs, transfixed on Dimitri's gaze. "But it's something of a two way street, last I checked... So let's just say 'all the way', and you tell me what you want, okay?" Claude wiggles in place until he can draw his hand up, threading it through Dimitri's hair. "I mean, I know that might be a little much for you right now. We _did_ just have our first kiss not too long ago. So, just assume that anything leading up to that point is something I'm alright with... okay?" Using the fingers he has in Dimitri's hair, Claude pulls him in close for another kiss.  
  
This one is a little shorter than what preceded it, but no less good. Dimitri sighs as they part, smiling once more. "You're so good to me," he murmurs, a fact that he's still sometimes surprised by. Five years ago, and he couldn't have imagined having, _making_ , a relationship this good. This open and honest and trusting. "But, well.... There's something I suppose I must confess."  
  
Claude's eyebrows rise up, visible intrigue on his boyfriend's face at the dusting of pink no doubt growing along Dimitri's cheeks, if the heat he feels is any indication. "Oh? Now do tell. I know you were getting rather _frisky_ last night, but I admittedly thought- well, there were a lot of ways that could have gone."  
  
Mm, yes, he is.... definitely blushing now. Dimitri is quite familiar with the tell-tale heat setting his whole face ablaze. "A very many different ways," he agrees, because it's true and he's never been a liar, even if honesty makes him want to catch on fire. "But, well... I... I _also_ wouldn't mind going 'all the way', as you said. I... have actually thought about a great deal more."  
  
With the kinds of jokes that Claude has made - and the things he's made explicitly clear are _not_ jokes - it's really no surprise to see the way his boyfriend's eyes light up. " _Oh_?" He wiggles closer, hip pressing up against Dimitri's trapped cock, and Dimitri feels his brain briefly leave him at the shock of pleasure that rockets up his spine. "Mind giving examples?"  
  
"They're... a _little_ embarrassing."  
  
Claude chuckles- not mean spiritedly, but in that soft and relaxed way of his that always helps ease the tension in Dimitri's joints and weight on his brow. "Well, sex often has that effect on people. How about this-" He raises his eyebrows up together. "Why don't I start with a dirty little thought _I've_ had, and see if that doesn't help get you going too?"  
  
Now Dimitri can't help but be curious. Claude hasn't been subtle on how attractive he finds Dimitri, certainly- it's something he actually appreciates. These things sometimes go over his head, especially when he's lost in it, and, well.... The more obvious something, the better. But that there might be more.... There must be something in his gaze giving him away, because Claude is grinning wider even before Dimitri answers. "If you wouldn't mind... Then I would certainly be interested. Perhaps... it might even work."  
  
"Perfect. Then, to start with..." Snuggling his cheek further against the pillows, Claude laughs a little once more. "One of these days, I want you in a massive fur cloak, leather pants, boots, and _no_ shirt whatsoever, so that I can fulfill my long time fantasy of being fucked by a handsome viking."  
  
...Dimitri thought he had an idea of where Claude would go with this. It turns out he absolutely did not. All he can do is stare for a moment as his mind reboots. "...That's a long time fantasy of yours?"  
  
Claude shakes in his arms, trying to muffle his laughter. "I mean, it's been a fantasy of mine ever since we first started dating." His eyes are absolutely radiant with his happiness and teasing as he glances up at Dimitri from beneath his bangs. "So, what do you think? How's that for encouragement?"  
  
Slowly, a smile begins to crawl across Dimitri's face. "I think.... that might just have done it." Hair pulling, long kisses, and now having sex with someone cosplaying as a viking. Dimitri thinks he can work with all of that. "Then, to start with..."  
  
Taking Claude by surprise, he grabs his boyfriend by the hips, turning them in his bed. Even with all the positive reinforcement his therapists have provided him, it had still been very hard for him to ever imagine someone else sharing his bed, so he'd never really bought one with that in mind. It took work last night to make sure both of them could fit together, and it takes work now for Dimitri to position them both just right.  
  
But it's worth it.  
  
It's worth it to position himself so that he can drag Claude right beneath him, which offers him the perfect view to the way Claude's pupils dilate in pure arousal. The way his lips part, a soft noise leaving them that defies description but not emotion. The way he simply _looks_ , this way, with his dark hair splayed across Dimitri's pillows and his body pliant beneath his.  
  
If he had to name the first thing he's daydreamed about Claude, he supposes there's no better place to start. Heart thudding hard in his chest, Dimitri dares to lower his head until he can brush his lips along Claude's neck. Claude goes along with it so neatly, so smoothly, tilting his head back with a soft gasp to expose more soft skin to whatever Dimitri can give him. "I've thought about pinning you like this," he murmurs against the pulsepoint he can feel against his lips. "About having you beneath me, able to steal all of your attention."  
  
Another soft kiss, and Claude sighs, this time, pleased and content. "You have it," he murmurs. "What else?"  
  
There's so much else. Dimitri continues to layer a trail of kisses down Claude's pulse, as if he can follow it all the way right into the heart it's connected to. "I've had to imagine the noises you would make, unable to steal them from your lips like I can now... I've thought..." He pushes himself up onto his hands, staring down at Claude as he trails his hand up from those wonderful hips, grazing against his chest, until they're following the line of his jaw up into the messed up curls of his hair. Dimitri licks his lips; he can't even begin to imagine what the look on his face must be. "I've thought of what your hair would feel like, if I dug my fingers in, and _pulled_."  
  
Claude's teeth dig right into his lower lips at that, a flash of green as he stares up at Dimitri with his pupils almost completely dominating his iris. He actually moans a little bit, hips wiggling, and the noise stutters when Dimitri's other hand digs in. "Don't move," comes a murmur, and Dimitri isn't entirely sure when his voice got like that- low and dark and with a husk lined through it. That realization is enough to snap him out of it, and Dimitri pulls his hands back along with the rest of his body. A sheepish expression rests on his face. "Oh- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get like that."  
  
"I wasn't minding that you did," Claude breathes, still laying there a little dazed before he pushes himself up as well. Dimitri hadn't entirely paid attention, so caught up and excited, but sitting like this leaves him straddling his boyfriend. Hm. Before he can rectify that, Claude finally recovers himself with a breathless laugh. "You don't have to apologize! I mean, I _did_ ask you to keep going."  
  
"You.... did..." Dimitri can't argue against basic facts, especially when that's what Claude is telling him so confidently. He chews just a little bit on his lower lip. "Regardless, I feel I might have been going a little too far."  
  
He's always worried about going too far, when it comes to the bedroom. Some of it is a lack of experience, and what experience he _does_ have is... questionable. In the back of his mind, however, he knows what really worries him. He knows it has to do with all the things he's ever been told, all his worries about how he's not... _allowed_ this. Not someone like him. His therapists have been working with him on it, but... Well, things like this take some time.  
  
Claude teases him for a lot of things, but he doesn't tease him for this. He merely tilts his head side to side, as if literally rolling his thoughts around in his skull. "You know, I didn't think we would be using it _so_ soon in our relationship," he says, smiling a little, lopsided, "but why not use a safeword, then? I'll saaaaay...." It only takes a second for him to think of something, and his smile widens. "Lion."  
  
His favorite animal. Dimitri starts to smile again as well. "You remembered?" he asks.  
  
"I remember everything about you." A wink. He might mean it as a joke, but it makes Dimitri feel something warm in his body that has nothing to do with arousal. Although, well, there's plenty of that too. "So, sound like a good idea?"  
  
In all honesty.... "Yes, it does." Dimitri leans in, soft because he means it and not as an apology, and kisses Claude. "So, you liked all of that?"  
  
Languid, relaxed, Claude wraps his arms around Dimitri's shoulders and begins to pull him back down against the pillows. "What an understated way of putting it," he chuckles. "Dimitri, I like having my hair pulled," he reminds him. "Just the act of you pushing me onto my back like you did, looming over me?"  
  
"I was _looming_?"  
  
"That was hot as hell," Claude continues, as if he didn't speak, before he pauses as if remembering something. Reassuringly, he pats Dimitri's back. "And you always loom just a lil', big guy. I mean, look at the size difference between us. But when you use it on purpose...?" His eyes shine, matching the pleased curve of his mouth. "I can think of very few things that are quite as hot."  
  
That finally has Dimitri raise an eyebrow, incredulous. "From what I know of you... I would say that you have more than enough ideas. A plethora, even." He can't tell if it's the accusation or the word choice that makes Claude burst into laughter, but it makes Dimitri smile again, and he steals another kiss.  
  
When he pulls away this time, it's with another question. "Could I touch you? While I describe it all? I don't mean- well, if things escalate, then we can cross that bridge when we get to it. But..." It's been a while since he's done this, or anything close to it, at least with another person. He feels he must be talking too much. He wets his lips. "...What about- grinding against you? Or, well... Fondling..."  
  
Sometimes, he wonders if there's ever a limit to how wide Claude's grins can get. They seem different every time, like now. "Oh, Dimitri, you can _fondle_ me anytime."  
  
He huffs. "Don't tease me."  
  
Another laugh before Claude admits, "It was an honest tease, 'tho."  
  
The only guaranteed way to shut Claude up, it seems, is to kiss him, so Dimitri leans down again and does just that. It's a deep kiss, like the one before it, and Dimitri savors the sensation of sliding his tongue past Claude's defenses. Claude seems to like it, too- being forcefully silenced like this, squirming beneath Dimitri's body again until a hand pins his hips into place once more.  
  
For that, Dimitri pulls his mouth away, and his breath has grown heavy. Claude still makes a gorgeous sight, now enhanced by the wet sheen along his lips. His voice has taken on that low rough tone again, and, this time, he doesn't fight it. He lets himself have it, because Claude has allowed him to have it. "So, where was I?"  
  
The answer, he knows, is just the tip of the iceberg.  
  
With a little safety in place, and Claude's encouragement, it feels easier to nudge his nose up along Claude's neck, kissing and biting in turn. Every little sensation is a surprise to his boyfriend, who sighs and gasps depending on what he receives. Dimitri leads the trail all the way up to his ear; Claude's fingers dig into the back of his shirt at a single warm breath.  
  
"I want to unravel you... You're always so confident, in control, that I want to see what you look like when it's all pulled away from you. Stripped off as easily as a shirt." Feeling a little daring, Dimitri skirts one hand up until Claude's shirt is crumpling against his wrist and revealing the smooth pane of his stomach. Claude is in good shape, healthy and fit, but he doesn't work out so regularly as Dimitri does. When he gives a sharp inhale at Dimitri's touch, all he can feel is softness.  
  
"I've thought of all the ways I could pin you, even as I immediately squashed such thoughts... Every place has been a temptation." Experimentally, he nips at a tender lobe and is rewarded by an eager little noise. Claude is vocal, he's coming to find. Definitely a good thing that he didn't go any further last night, despite how hard it had been to resist. "I thought of pushing you down against tables, to see how your spine would look curved and bent in front of me. I thought about if you'd arch your back for me when I finally gave you what you wanted by digging my fingers into your hair..."  
  
" _Yes_ ," Claude gasps, legs spreading wider, knees bracketing Dimitri's sides.  
  
It's easy. It's unbelievable how easy it is. Dimitri thought something would go wrong by now - that he'd say the wrong thing, that Claude would get turned off, find him repulsive, that maybe he'd just too something stupid like fall off the bed. But none of that is happening, his traitorous brain is being proven wrong once again, and Dimitri lives off the thrill of that almost as much as the sounds coming out of Claude's mouth.  
  
But he really _is_ rusty when it comes to this. It's a good thing he's talking, because he's hoping it offers some distraction as he remembers what it's like to grind on someone. "Or maybe I could lift you up- you weigh so little. It would take nothing at all to pick you up by your hips, off your feet, keep you right where I want you-"  
  
With how much Claude has commented on his muscles, Dimitri had long figured out that he rather likes the idea of Dimitri being strong. Strong towards _him_ , manhandling and being a little rough? That he hadn't been too sure about, until now, as Claude rolls his hips up against Dimitri's with a delighted moan. "Could you?" he asks breathlessly, almost unable to laugh. "What am I saying, of course you could-"  
  
Dimitri kisses him again. He makes sure to keep it even longer than the other two, and uses the spare time to replicate what Claude's movements had so helpfully made clear again, until he has it perfect, and Claude is moaning against his mouth more than kissing. "I could," he answers when he pulls away, pleased at how pleasantly dazed Claude appears to be. "And you'd love it."  
  
Because there's really no doubt at this point. Claude tilts his head back and just _grins_ , shamelessly eager as he continues to help drive the friction between their bodies. That's all the answer he gives, hands adjusting against Dimitri's shoulder and back while his fingers dig in for even better purchase. "What else?" he asks, groaning when Dimitri grabs his hips and forces him down again. He's starting to get the feeling that Claude acts up exactly because he adores it when Dimitri puts him back in place against the bed.  
  
Well, he's more than glad to oblige. He slides both hands into place over the curve of Claude's hips, and his hair falls messily around his face as he wraps his lips around a tender bit of flesh. "I want to hear you scream," he confesses, heart skipping a beat at his own admission. It's almost frightening to say it, as though he's skirting too close to the edge. But he keeps pressing, remembering their agreement, remembering exactly what it is that Claude hasn't said. "My name, begging me to go faster, harder, until you can't even form coherent words, and it's all for me-"  
  
But, of course, he's the one who begins to reach his peak first out of both of them. Dimitri digs his teeth in harder along the arch of Claude's neck, freely and gladly given. His hips jerk, stuttering, rhythm broken and desperate, and he can feel Claude's fingers claw up from his shoulder into his hair. His boyfriend gasps, groans, offers words inbetween pleasure and noise. "Oh yes, oh, that's it, I want it, c'mon Dimitri, let go, c'mon c'mon c'mon-"  
  
And it's so tempting to just keep going, to chase that pleasurable high with his teeth latched onto Claude's throat, Claude's voice keening against his ear, so warm and eager in his hands-  
  
The effort it takes to pull away is monumental but worth it, he knows it will be. It's not worth it because of the way Claude squirms so wantonly in his sheets at the lack of his pressure, his heat...But it is something of a nice bonus. "I can't," he says, the words slipping out of him in a low groan because, honestly, he's missing the feel of Claude, too.  
  
One of Claude's hands starts to slide out of Dimitri's hair. "Oh, I can make sure you absolutely can," he mumbles, eyes greedy and bright as he drags his fingers down Dimitri's chest and towards the hem of his pants, the large bulge tented there.  
  
Hastily, Dimitri grabs that wandering hand and pins it up nearer to Claude's head. "No, I don't mean- not like _that_ kind of 'can'. I mean- Claude, this is our first time together. I shouldn't-" He pulls another hand off of Claude's hips, leaving now only the one pinning his hand. This is so that he can give a flustered gesture towards, well, _them_. "I should think it deserves a little more effort and attention on my part than rutting against you until I make a mess in my pants. _You_ deserve better."  
  
"You realize that some people absolutely do that on even the first date, right?" Claude asks, more pure curiosity than anything judgmental.  
  
Dimitri shakes his head. "Those people aren't _me_ ," he says stubbornly.  
  
If anything, Claude's expression seems to brighten, until he looks as radiant as a star even in his current disheveled state. "They certainly aren't," he says quietly, drawing his other hand slowly down along Dimitri's shoulder. It's a quiet moment, sinking past the burning heat between their legs, before Claude breaks it with a chuckle. "Well, if you want to make it special, there are a _few_ ways we could go about it. Just not actual sex, unfortunately. With this being a big multi-person party, I didn't think we'd get a chance so, for once, I didn't plan for anything."  
  
Dimitri's heart leaps up through his throat, and he pulls away from Claude even more. "That's fine!" he exclaims, getting one foot on the floor and nearly slipping when he tries with the other. Fortunate that he can grab onto his bed for stability. Hastily straightening up, he adds, "Hold on, just, don't-" He's not sure how he intends to finish that sentence, and he suspects continuing might jumble his meaning further. In the interest of clarity, Dimitri shuts his mouth and just heads towards his dresser drawers.  
  
When he's finally gotten what he's looking for and turned around, Claude has rolled onto his side to watch him with one hand cupping his cheek. Almost immediately, his eyes light up as he spots what Dimitri has in his hands. "Now since when have you started holding onto _lube_ and _condoms_?" he asks, unrestrained in his delight.  
  
It's a good thing Dimitri's face was already red from what they were doing; maybe Claude won't notice a little more rising to his cheeks. "I- Well. I kept inviting you over to my apartment. Last time was especially-" Dimitri cuts himself off to try and organize his words better. He wants to go into a huge talk about that night, how warm Claude felt at his side, how nice it felt to drift away that first time, the television a comforting hum in the background. It's all his mind can think about, taking over what he feels must be a better answer. He just... isn't sure what the proper words are.  
  
Fortunately, Claude seems to be adjusting to these lapses or tangents on Dimitri's side. He just grins. "Well, I always knew I was never keeping it a secret that I was interested... But still, _you_ , picking up condoms, getting all ready for the off-chance that we would have sex?" Claude's gaze takes its time roaming over Dimitri's body, lingering especially on the condoms and the tent in his pants. "Well... I already underestimated you on the dirty talking front alone. That'll show _me_."  
  
He sounds nothing short of pleased to be shown up this way.  
  
Sitting upright, Claude reaches out to Dimitri with his fingers wiggling for him impatiently. "Let's see what we have to work with, hm?" Once Dimitri is close enough, Claude's fingers wrap around one arm while the other takes the condom box from him. His eyes skim over the box before he has to pause, eyebrows rising up to his hairline and his tongue darting out to wet his lips. "Oh... the answer is _a lot_ , apparently."  
  
Dimitri rather thought he was perhaps going a little overboard with the size, but... "I triple checked to make sure that I was getting the right size." He hides his mouth behind one hand, although that does nothing for his blush. "I'm not- this isn't me attempting to boast, or seem like I'm trying to overestimate myself. It really will fit. I've checked." It had been, in fact, very easy to check. Thinking of Claude had almost been a guaranteed road to an erection.  
  
"Oh, I don't doubt you." Sliding a condom out, Claude gives him a sly little look from underneath his curly bangs and dark eyelashes. Dimitri's cock can't help twitching. "I've only been able to see the bulge before, but this seems about right..." Putting the box to the side, besides his phone, Claude raises the condom packet to his lips and smiles with just enough teeth to be a definite tease. "But let's double check, huh?"  
  
Well. Dimitri doesn't need to be told twice. He's glad he wore comfortable sweatpants to bed. At the time, he figured they'd be roomy enough for some plausible deniability if anything happened- a plan that had clearly failed. Now, however, they serve a better purpose in being easy to slide off of his hips, underwear coming along with them. He'd done a lot of work to get his room clean, but Dimitri completely forgets all of that in favor of messily tossing his pants to the side. Following soon after is his shirt, tugged over his head to leave behind an absolute mess of bedhead.  
  
Claude doesn't mind. Claude very clearly doesn't mind, watching Dimitri strip with intent. One hand is still holding the condom up to his lips, almost absentmindedly, as if he's forgotten the point of it. His other hand- oh. Oh.  
  
His other hand is grinding gently along the front of his own pants- Dimitri's pants, loaned, where his arousal presses out noticeably even in loose fabric.  
  
Transfixed, drawn like a cat to sun, Dimitri can't stop himself from moving closer until his knee is pressing down against his sheets. Leaning over Claude, he slides his hand along his shirt, until his hand is folding over Claude's where it's cupped between his legs. Claude shivers, other hand finally moving down to brace himself against the bed. So little, and he's already so excited... Not that Dimitri can judge, when his own length is jutting out long and hard between his legs. When he presses downwards, grinding against Claude's hand in turn, his boyfriend moans.  
  
"Teasing me," Claude gasps, lips brushing against Dimitri's jaw.  
  
"You've been an entire nonstop tease ever since I met you," Dimitri murmurs back, enjoying the way Claude's hips roll up against his hand. "You're wearing far too many clothes for this, if I understand how these things go."  
  
Face flushed, he gets his answer in the form of Claude's ever sly grin. "You should take care of that for me."  
  
Dimitri doesn't think he'll ever get tired of seeing Claude in his clothes, the drastic way they don't fit on his slimmer frame and imprint Dimitri's existence on him. Yet if there's one thing he thinks he likes _more_ , he's realizing, it's the act of _removing_ his clothes from Claude. His hands are helpless to resist Claude's body, lingering along the bumps of his spine when he pulls off the shirt from his torso, and they press in harder to Claude's hips when they're finally exposed to open air instead of hidden away by cotton.  
  
What he's most looking forward to is what's had his attention for the past ten minutes or so, and it springs from Claude's underwear already mostly hard when Dimitri finally focuses enough to tug away his underwear. Claude can't help laughing a little bit when Dimitri immediately looks to it. "It's not as impressive as yours," he notes. "Still, not bad, right?"  
  
Objectively, Dimitri knows what he means. Claude isn't particularly big, or small. Maybe he's a little smaller than is the norm, but it's not like Dimitri is a professional in knowing the national dick average. Because, subjectively, to _him_...  
  
"I love it," he says, sincerely, and begins to shift backwards.  
  
That makes Claude laugh a little again. "I'm not sure if that's what you're supposed to say about a penis-" His words get cut off by a moan, the result of Dimitri breathing hotly right at his tip. " _Oh_ , you are so very much more devious than I ever gave you credit for." They both exchange smiles, then- Dimitri relaxed and bright eyed, Claude loose and playful. "Now where did you drop the lube?"  
  
It's on the bed, actually, dropped in Dimitri's haste, and Claude casually bosses him around until Dimitri is at one end of the bed and Claude himself is nestled against the now piled up pillows. "For something like that," he says, eyes locked onto Dimitri's cock, "I'm definitely not holding back either... So how about you just sit there." Those eyes of his shine so mesmerizingly. "And I'll give you a show."  
  
Dimitri can't tell if he's grateful that he handed over the bottle of lube, or is fairly certain he's going to be writhing in regret in just a minute.  
  
He's even unsure when Claude leans back, and his legs spread out and out and _out_ , until Dimitri has a complete and unobstructed view of his ass. That he can do that with his legs- "How did you learn to do that?" he breathes, barely able to register how Claude is spreading lube along his fingers.  
  
Claude winks at him. Dimitri thinks he might die from that little action one day. "I have all sorts of secrets you haven't seen yet," he purrs, sliding his hand down the dip of his pelvis. There's no reaction to how his fingers just barely brush along his pert arousal, only the barest of shudders when his thumb grazes heavy balls, but Dimitri drinks it all in regardless, commits it to memory. One day, that will be his hand stroking Claude's thigh, and his fingers tracing the rim of Claude's entrance.  
  
While Dimitri's bed is decently sized, meant for someone of his height and with his broad shoulders... There's still only so much room for the two of them on it, even on separate ends. Dimitri almost feels as though he might fall off the edge of his end, one leg dangling off the side, the other bent upwards with his foot only a scant few inches from Claude's... but he hardly notices.  
  
Not with how Claude smirks at him, morning light casting stripes of gold along his brown skin, drawing the brightness of his eyes into stark brilliance. Not with how he knows how enraptured Dimitri is, drawing his fingertip around his hole before finally, _finally_ , sliding it in. His breath hitches; Dimitri can't tell if it's honest or an act meant to test his self control.  
  
"Is this the first time someone's ever done this sort of thing for you?" Claude asks, almost conversational, as if he doesn't have his finger sliding second knuckle deep into his body. He doesn't sound out of breath, though Dimitri's tongue had been down his throat only a few moments prior.  
  
Dimitri's brain needs a second to process the question. His attention is too ensnared by the way Claude's finger smoothly begins to pump in and out, opening the way for something _much_ larger. "This sort of thing?" he echoes, blinking his way away from the sight so that he can look into Claude's eyes. Something about that - their gazes meeting while Claude readies himself for Dimitri's cock - sends another sharp spark of arousal down his spine and straight up into his own erection. Biting down on his lip, Dimtri begins to grind the heel of his palm along his own thigh.  
  
His impatience only makes Claude smile all the more. "Putting on a show for you," he clarifies, shifting his hips just slightly into the thrust of his own finger. "You know- the foreplay. Mm, now that I think about it, we've had a lot of conversations, on all sorts of things... But sexual experience on both our ends hasn't come up yet."  
  
Ah. He's not wrong, Dimitri can certainly say that much. He laughs a little bit under his breath, trying not to let self-depreciation leak in. "It's not particularly a lot, or very interesting," he says. "But... No. No one has ever done this for me. Frankly, no one has done anything beyond- well, let's merely say that my experiences have been mostly vanilla, as the most accurate term."  
  
That draws out a laugh from Claude, and he slips in another finger with only a slight sigh. "With the way you pinned me down, and the things you said... I have to say _that_ is a surprise. And with the way you look..."  
  
Hearing the words out of Claude's mouth, that he loves his appearance, the things he'd done - that's nice. That's _more_ than nice. So nice that Dimitri doesn't see why he should ruin the moment with his past encounters, whether in talking about the sex or the relationships. There were few of them, so the tale would be short regardless... even without everything else.  
  
Claude seems to sense it, somehow. Maybe it's because of how much time they've spent with one another. Regardless, he grins with his eyes crinkling in delight. "Then that means I get to experience a whole lot of 'firsts' with you. You know, I can't see that being a bad thing."  
  
Just like that, the darker thoughts and memories vanish from his mind, and Dimitri smiles at him. "I can't either," he says, wondering if words alone can really express how glad he is for that fateful day when his tongue made a slip of the heart, when Sylvain meddled even if Dimitri had been upset at the time. Now, if he's lucky, if things keep being this good instead of reality following the worst possibilities his mind can think of...  
  
Maybe his tone does enough where his words fail him, because Claude's gaze softens a little bit. "I already have a hundred ideas of what we can do with each other," he sighs, crooking his fingers where they are in him and jerking as a result. "But for now... I think something plain and quick is much better suited for us." With that, he finally slides a third finger into himself, and _this_ is what finally draws a stronger reaction out of his throat. Cladue tosses his head back with a short gasp, the quiet sound so sharp in Dimitri's silent room.  
  
That's it- he can't take it anymore. With a low frustrated growl under his breath, Dimitri leans forward with his foot pushing himself forward as it digs against the mattress. He has no idea what he's going to do, only it's _something_ , only that it involves touching _Claude_. Yet even as he reaches to do so, Claude laughs again and repositions his legs so that he can plant the flat of one foot right against Dimitri's chest. "Now now," he says, eyes practically dancing in mirth. "I'm not done yet."  
  
The growl shifts into something maybe more like a whine. " _Claude_..."  
  
"So impatient!"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
That makes Claude stop again, fingers all the way inside of himself while he turns his head for a rush of laughter. "Well, I can never fault your honesty!" he gasps once he's gotten control of himself again, letting his foot drop down to the bed once again. "Why don't you help, if you want it so badly? Honestly, with how little time we have, it's not a bad idea to start with..."  
  
Hopefully, Dimitri perks up, and he lowers his hand to linger near Claude's ankle. "I wouldn't mind helping," he says, perhaps a little too eagerly. He's just not sure- "How?"  
  
The lube had gotten lost in the pillows once Claude had finished with it. Now, he reaches down for the little bottle again, and winks at Dimitri as he pulls his fingers out of himself. "Your fingers are a little thicker than mine," Claude purrs, reaching for Dimitri with the same hand that was pumping fingers in and out of his body only seconds prior. "Let's put them to good use."  
  
Dimitri isn't a complete stranger to lube, or how to use it. It's just... been a _long_ time. Long enough that it feels almost a little odd to feel the lube slip over his fingers, just distinct enough from water for him to notice the difference right off the bat. Still, it does its job well enough, smearing all along his fingers and dripping down across his palm. Him and Claude are close enough to share breath as he leans in, leaving a wet trail along the inside of Claude's thigh. "Like this?" he murmurs, trapped by Claude's eyes.  
  
"Like that," Claude says encouragingly, shivering when Dimitri's finger brushes against his entrance. He grins. "I've already stretched myself out for you. No need to be shy."  
  
An invitation like that is hard to refuse. Trying to avoid feeling self conscious about so many things lingering in the back of his head, Dimitri pushes his finger in. Claude was right; his body _is_ ready for Dimitri. At least... His fingers, if nothing else. The slide in is smooth and loose, already worked up by three other fingers before his one. It only takes a couple of thrusts inside, Dimtri grinding the pad of his finger up into Claude's body to see him squirm, before he feels bold enough to press a second in. There's a little more resistance, there, but hardly much.  
  
That's the limit Dimitri stops at, just for a moment, scissoring Claude's body further open, teasing him. It's half because it seems like a good time to stop at, but the other half... The other half is because he can't resist Claude when they're so close, noses brushing, Claude's legs brushing against Dimitri's sides and arms.  
  
He presses in, tilting his head to the side, and Claude mirrors him, welcomes his lips pressing closer. It takes a moment for Dimitri to adjust his brain to two different things at once, kissing Claude and fucking him with his fingers, but he manages to get into the rhythm eventually. Of course... Claude helps, eager to cling to him, kiss him, moans when Dimitri's fingers grind into him at the perfect angle.  
  
It's then that Dimitri presses in a third finger, to the sound of Claude's moans, and he ducks his head down. It's heady, feeling Claude gasp into his hair like this, to feel how hot his pulse has gotten when Dimitri presses his lips around Claude's throat. "You're stretching me out so good," he groans while Dimitri works another mark into his skin with lips and teeth. "Better than any toy, I can already tell..."  
  
Pleased, Dimitri lathes his tongue along the mark he's just made. "Like it?" he murmurs, pressing his fingers in until they can't push anymore. It's worth it, to feel the way Claude trembles against him, so eager for it all.  
  
"I _love_ it," Claude says, laughing shakily.  
  
Dimitri thrusts his fingers in a good few more times, feeling how Claude squeezes down on him just for this little. Well, perhaps it may be a little, but it's a little thing his fingers press up against, and which drags out a startled cry of pleasure out of Claude's throat. "Good," he rasps, digging his fingers even more until Claude is squirming underneath him... and _then_ he pulls them out, a slow drag as though he can commit every little bump and curve of Claude's body to memory. "Then.... Can I...?"  
  
With all their repositioning, their kissing, everything else- they've absolutely shifted their position on Dimitri's bed now. Claude is more than fine with that, able to recline back into the pillows with a grin. With how much Dimitri has teased him, kissed him, ground down against his body, Claude is plenty flushed as it is... but Dimitri feels he can make him even more wrecked. He's looking _forward_ to the possibility of dragging him into such a state.  
  
"I think I ought to be all stretched out for your nice and massive cock," Claude purrs, the description which turns Dimitri's entire face red. He reaches down between his legs, fingers stretching out his entrance. "Give me all you got, _please_."  
  
Really, Claude is too teasing for him to handle. All it takes are those words, the way his fingers pull himself open just for him, and Dimitri is fumbling in his efforts to grab the condom, and then the lube.  
  
Out of both of them, the condom is the hardest one to deal with. His eagerness makes it difficult to focus, and be exact. They taught him how to do this in sex education class, he's _had_ sex, so why is this so hard? After a second, Claude chuckles, leaning over, and it's with those nimble fingers that the condom is dragged snuggly over his cock.  
  
Lube is easier. It's perfectly lukewarm in his hand as he pours the liquid out, and Dimitri digs his teeth into his lip when he draws his hand all along his erection. Eagerness is welling up in him, almost as much as the arousal fueling his cock, but he forces himself to be slow and careful. He makes sure to cover every long inch of himself, not leaving a single thing left dry.  
  
Claude watches with amusement and what Dimitri likes to think is some appreciation. Yet there's no denying the eagerness he feels in turn when Dimitri finally tosses the bottle aside and presses inbetween his legs. Those same legs draw up around Dimitri's torso, heels digging into his back just so, and Dimitri can't resist one more kiss- this time to Claude's face. "Breathe," he murmurs, the head of his cock teasing right at Claude's hole.  
  
Even with preparation, even with lube, Claude is so _tight_ as he presses in, and Dimitri's eyelids flutter. A groan is pulled out of him, right from the very pit of his body, and he has to pause for a second once he's breached just enough in that the head is swallowed up. Claude doesn't make it easy, however. With him right there, stretching the very start of him, grinding into the sensitive nerves of his entrance.... It must drive him up the wall, out of his skin. At least, that's only what Dimitri can assume, considering the high whine that keens out of his throat... and the way his hips roll forward, swallowing up more of the arousal digging into him.  
  
It's too much, too fast, too _hot_. Dimitri actually snarls from the sensation of it, his hips jerking even further against Claude, and that only makes his boyfriend cry out even further. Mind buzzing with pleasure, intoxicated with it, he reaches down and digs his fingers into Claude's hips. " _You_ ," he growls, his heart pounding in his ears, "are too _impatient_."  
  
Panting, flushed more than Dimitri, Claude gives him a wide if unsteady grin. "Or maybe you're too slow," he teases. Experimentally, he tries to squirm in Dimitri's grasp to eek out even a centimeter more of him, and only squeezes down tighter with a loud gasp when Dimitri presses down even more with his hand to keep him from doing so. "Oh, oh, gods, I love it when you do that, love it when you're so effortlessly strong-"  
  
So he's said, and Dimitri wets his lips. So worked up, he can't help but find it in him to be a little cruel, too, his hesitation leaving him in his rush of feeling and arousal. So he begins to slowly pull himself out, and gives a vicious little grin when Claude protests with a moan and his nails scrambling against Dimitri's back. "I know you do," he says, pulling out until only the tip of him is inside Claude. "You want me to hold you down, take you exactly like this, unable to even think of moving back against me, just lay there and accept every little bit of me that I give you-"  
  
That's exactly when Claude tries to speak up, and when Dimitri thrusts into him, far as he can go before hitting resistance. Claude's answer rises up in a loud cry. "YES!" His fingers latch in deep, no doubt leaving behind marks he'll care about _later_ , later, not now, not when Claude is wracked with pleasure under him. "Yes, yes, gods, I want you to fuck me so hard, I've dreamed about it, you're as big as some _toys_ I've used-"  
  
Another warbling cry, drawn out as Dimitri clumsily thrusts further into him. He needs to find the right angle, the perfect one, even if Claude seems almost satisfied enough just by the girth of him pushing him open more and more. That's fine, that gives him enough time to figure it all out. "Better than your toys, isn't that right?" he asks in demand, working just how he needs to spear into him.  
  
Claude's ankles are going to make permanent grooves in his back, with how much they're pressing down against him. His whole back might end up a tapestry of the things Claude is doing to him, an idea that Dimitri quite likes, even as he listens to the sounds out of Claude's mouth that he might like even _more_. "Better!" Claude acquiesces to the ceiling, unraveling so neatly in Dimitri's bed. "So much better, gods, Dimitri, deeper-"  
  
So he goes deeper. He goes until Claude is crying out as he drives into that one spot more than soon enough, the size of him making it only a matter of time. He goes until Claude can't form words, can't even beg, until all he can do to communicate his desire is the way he clings to Dimitri and how his erect cock bounces against his stomach every time Dimitri pounds into him.  
  
And it's better than anything else, any _one_ else, that Dimitri has ever done this with, short as the list may be.  
  
Maybe it's because it's been such a long while for him, how eager Claude has been for this encounter, that they reach their peak together so quickly. Maybe it's because of other things. Dimitri doesn't know, and can't bring himself to care. All that matters to him is the mantra cried out along his ear. The way Claude gasps out how close he is. Those nails digging deep into his shoulders.  
  
Hitting his orgasm is almost dizzying, stars shooting off behind his squeezed shut eyes, and Dimitri continues thrusting only because the momentum seems impossible to stop. Later, when he's not so overwhelmed, he'll be glad for it, glad that he can keep driving that pleasure further into Claude while his boyfriend remembers to reach down between them, grip his release with his own hand. He comes messily across his stomach, crying out against Dimitri's shoulder as he clenches all around him... and then he goes limp.  
  
Dimitri does as well, head bowed against the pillows that wait just past Claude's shoulder, and can only lay there for a moment in the pleasant afterglow. He's sweaty, tired all anew, and can barely think... but he feels nice. Really nice. Claude is still wrapped around him, labored breathing slowly easing up to something more comfortable in turn. Dimitri turns his head to the side, nudging Claude's ear with his nose. "Was that good?" he mumbles, not quite able to raise his voice to proper speaking levels. Probably for the best, right now.  
  
A shaky laugh jitters out from Claude's mouth. "You couldn't tell?" he asks, turning his head as well while his hands smooth over Dimitri's back. "It was good."  
  
"Good." Dimitri sighs, snuggling up more against Claude. With the sweat cooling on his skin, he's starting to feel a little cold. Claude, in contrast, feels like he has all the warmth of a comet. "I liked it."  
  
"Good," Claude echoes, encouraging Dimitri with the way he clings to him. "Mmm, I thought it would take much longer for us to get to this point..."  
  
There's no need to wonder why he'd think that; Dimitri knows how he comes off when he's not just intimidating. Instead, he gives a sheepish little laugh himself. With his arousal fading, something in the pit of him is starting to feel more than a little giddy. "Honestly, it might have," he admits, pressing a kiss against Claude's cheek. A sweet sigh is the reward he gets for his efforts. "I didn't want to seem- too crass? Crude? A, well, a..."  
  
Claude lets him struggle with finding the right words for a moment, before he offers his own suggestion. "A horny pervert?"  
  
Dimitri laughs before he can stop himself, startled, before he ducks his head down against the pillows again with a grin. "Right. I didn't want to come off as a horny pervert. During our first date, even when I was feeling attracted to you, I didn't want to feel like I was rushing you at all. Back then, I was thinking that I'd try to wait at least a year before I made any moves of that nature."  
  
The groan that leaves Claude's mouth is not one of pleasure this time, and _highly_ exaggerated. "Oh, gods, I would have died after a year of being around your muscles, and your cute smiles, and all the cuddling. I wouldn't have lasted, Dimitri. It would have been torture."  
  
Chuckling, Dimitri kisses his cheek again, and feels just how much Claude is grinning for him. "There, there. It clearly didn't happen."  
  
"It certainly didn't." Reaching up, Claude rests his fingers along Dimitri's jaw and gently guides his head until they're in a better position to kiss properly. "Although now I can't help but be curious on what changed your mind."  
  
"You're curious about every single thing in existence, I think."  
  
"Ha! You don't have to point out the truth so _bluntly_." Claude grins even more, and winks at him. "Was it because I'm too irresistible? Too attractive?"  
  
He's probably not expecting a 'yes' to that question, so Claude's face glows a pleasant red when Dimitri looks him in the eyes with a smile and says earnestly, "You're absolutely beautiful." While Claude tries to figure out a response, he leans down and kisses the spot above his brow. "But I spoke with a friend- with Mercedes- and I was worried that I would be pushing you too much.... That something like that wouldn't be proper, or what you would deserve.  
  
"But talking with her, and your words from before, made me realize... It's not a necessarily a bad thing, to fall for you so quickly. I mean, it can be, certainly... But then I thought of you. How you've been so patient, and how you've always been considerate of me, never pushing, always backing off when things felt like they may be too much..." Adjusting his arms, Dimitri threads his fingers through Claude's hair. "When I thought about it like that, I realized it would be alright if I took off running with you."  
  
Claude's face is still pleasantly red as he looks up at him, but he's smiling, too. Dimitri would never say that he's an expert in the many different types of smiles that Claude can make... but he's definitely an enthusiast in them, if nothing else, and he adores the kind of Claude's face now: the type that reaches his eyes, that makes his whole person glow. "Who would have thought that such a prince charming was waiting behind the face of a guy who was giving a death glare to everyone in a tiny little cafe, the first time I met him," he murmurs.  
  
Alright, that- maybe he could have done without that. Dimitri bites his lower lip. "I'm still terribly sorry about that." A pause, and he smiles around the teeth he has digging down. "...You think I'm a prince charming?"  
  
Laughing again, Claude peppers kisses along his face. "My very own," he whispers fondly, smiling against Dimitri's skin. "I didn't actually think a guy like you existed for me out there in the great big world, you know? I didn't even realize you were my type. But I have to say... Out of everyone I've ever dated, I've never felt as _secure_ as when I'm with you. As safe or treasured." He chuckles, threading his fingers through Dimitri's hair as well, enjoying the way it slides between his fingers. "It's enough to make a guy believe in fairy tale endings, although that's certainly a claim to make when we've only been dating for so long, huh? It makes me a little worried."  
  
"Because it's too good to be true?" Dimitri offers, brow drawing together in understanding even as he continues to smile. "I know how that feels... It nagged at me ever since our first date. But... Even if that's how it feels..." He gently taps their foreheads together. "I think the only way we can learn if it's too good or not is to keep stepping forward with one another, and keep holding on while we can."  
  
"Such a sweetheart," Claude chuckles, letting his fingers rest along the nape of Dimitri's neck. For a second, they stay like that, holding onto one another, basking in warmth and sweetness. Yet after a few seconds of that, Claude speaks up again. "You know, you're still balls deep in me."  
  
Jolting, Dimitri pushes himself up properly and looks between them. "Oh- I'm so sorry, just, hold on- _please_ remove your legs around me, Claude. We- we should absolutely take a shower before the others get here, I can only imagine how little time we have left."  
  
Back to his usual playful grin, Claude goes along with the request, and only shivers a little bit when Dimitri pulls out. "Got too wrapped up in the moment, I take it?" he chuckles, pushing himself up into a sitting position. When he sees Dimitri floundering on what to do with the _very_ full condom, he offers out his hand. "Here, let me take care of it."  
  
Even as he hands it over, Dimitri can't help be a _little_ worried. "Don't do anything- _debauched_ with it. I can barely handle you as you are."  
  
Claude nearly falls over laughing, and almost loses his hold on the condom while he's at it. "Oh, you don't have to worry," he snickers, righting himself up. "This is our first time together. I'll be _vanilla_. Just watch." In contrast to Dimitri's floundering, Claude's fingers move smoothly as he ties the top of the condom into a neat little knot.  
  
It's probably not the kind of thing Dimitri should be impressed about, but he nonetheless makes a small noise of approval. "Your fingers are so- accurate." Which is probably a strange adjective to use, but it's the one that seems most applicable to the situation. "I tried to tie one, once, but I tore right there and- well." He coughs into his fist and looks away, embarrassed. "...There was a mess, lets just put it that way."  
  
Claude at least _tries_ to muffle his laughter. "Well, don't worry." Tossing the condom carelessly into a small trash can by the desk, Claude grins over his shoulder at him. "As long as you're dating me, I'll gladly take over all condom disposal duties. Now let's get up and go wash ourselves off. I think we could both use it, before everyone gets back." But the moment he gets onto his feet, Claude makes a low groan in the back of his throat and braces his hands at the small of his back, stretching. "Whoo. I'm definitely going to be feeling your cock for a while."  
  
He was already feeling embarrassed about the condom thing. Dimitri thinks he might be in the perfect condition to die, like this. "I am _so sorry_ ," he repeats, scrambling up to his feet. "Hold on- Do you want to borrow more of my clothes? They should be more comfortable than what you wore last night- I'll get towels-"  
  
Before he can go rushing around too much, Claude presses a hand against his arm. "It's not a bad thing," Claude says, eyes sparkling. "I'm going to _like_ having a little bit of ache from how much you stretched me open. It's not enough to hurt, but enough for me to remember how nice this morning was. You don't have to get apologetic, Dimitri." He winks. "Although if you really insist on making things up to me, can I make a request and ask that you pick me up in those strong arms of yours on the way to the shower?"  
  
If there's one thing Dimitri is learning, it's that Claude teasing him is strangely calming. At least, it brings him down to earth, and he's reminded a little bit of the way Sylvain distracts him in much the same manner. Pausing, he chuckles. "You really do like the build of my body, don't you...?" Still, after he retrieves some spare clothing for both of them, he obligingly leans down and encourages Claude's arms around his neck. It only takes a little bit of instruction before he lifts Claude up smoothly. His weight in Dimitri's arms is a comfort.  
  
Claude winks at him again. "I don't know who has the bad sense not to find your body attractive," he purrs, getting the door for him since Dimitri's hands are rather full, needless to say.  
  
Peeking to make sure the rest of the apartment is still silent and thus empty, Dimitri shakes his head before stepping out into the hallway. "That's just your preference," he says, although he has to admit the compliment has him smiling. He's had people comment on him before, while working out at the gym... but there's something different when the words are coming out of Claude's mouth. As they step into his bathroom, something suddenly occurs to Dimitri, and he perks up. "Oh!"  
  
Claude glances up at him curiously, even as Dimitri puts him down on his own two feet. "What's up?"  
  
"It's just-" Dimitri tries to reign in his excitement, although he knows Claude won't judge. It's just that he feels a little _silly_ , getting so worked up about something like this. "I've never had a shower with someone before. It's- I suppose I could say it is something I'm looking forward to."  
  
Grinning, Claude stands on the tips of his toes and presses a kiss to his jaw. "You're _adorable_ ," he says. "Although it might be different than whatever you've been imagining."  
  
"Regardless, at least I'll have experienced it for myself." Leaning down, Dimitri kisses him on the cheek right back. Maybe it's just the good feelings that come in the afterglow, but he simply can't keep his hands off of him, or his lips. "Honestly... I'm excited that there's a lot of things that I... can experience with you, that I've never had a chance to with anyone else."  
  
Claude's eyes light up in that neverending curiosity. "Really?"  
  
Shyly, Dimitri nods. "Even that slightly- rougher side of me was something I've never really gotten to try with other people. And, well. I would be a liar if I tried to say that I hadn't thought of other things. I've simply... never been with someone to try them before. Not like I've been with you, for this long..."  
  
Looking as soft as Dimitri's heart feels, Claude traces his fingers through Dimitri's hair. "Hey, that's half the fun of being in a relationship, isn't it? Whenever you wnat to try something... You let me know."  
  
Hearing those words... They make his heart turn, and he turns his head to smile against Claude's wrist before stepping away. It's right as he's turning on the shower to let it heat up that something pings his memory, and Dimitri looks over his shoulder. Claude is already rummaging through his towels. "Oh, but- I'll have to clean my- well." He gestures to his right eye. Well, the prosthetic that acts as his right eye. "I usually take this out when I shower, and clean it afterwards... It's due for that. But I can do that after you're done."  
  
Taking the clothing from Dimitri, Claude drops them on his toilet lid and drops the towels onto those. "I mean, I won't lie that it might be strange to see," Claude points out, reaching up to tug Dimitri's head down for another kiss. "But you have a fake eye?"  
  
"Oh, yes." Dimitri taps underneath his right one. "Keeping the socket empty can lead to some... structural issues. But I usually prefer to wear the eyepatch over it regardless."  
  
"I see." Claude nods, sharp and quick. Decisive. "Well, if you wouldn't be too self conscious about it, then I promise I wouldn't make it too weird."  
  
Faintly, Dimitri remembers that he'd made a similar sort of promise back on their first date, in regards to his schizophrenia. The reminder has him smile a little bit, although it hangs awkwardly on his lips. "I don't think I will ever be anything but self conscious when it comes to this... but it might be nice, to simply have someone around. Who knows? Perhaps it will help me be _less_ self conscious. I simply request that you not look, when I have to put it back in my socket again."  
  
"No worries, I won't peek." And he says it so honestly, too, no teasing or anything. Although there's still some lingering curiosity. "Although I am curious - the eye looks fine to me. Is there a reason you prefer to cover it up?"  
  
"Oh, no, it's fairly decent, really. I simply don't like the way it looks."  
  
Dimitri is expecting to explain himself, on that one. He's had to in the past, after all, even to his oldest friends at first. Certainly to the few other people he's grown to know that eventually learn of the fact, who never really stuck around. Doesn't he want to look normal again? Doesn't he want to not get strange looks due to wearing an eyepatch? And, well, he can't lie, not having people look at him all the time would be nice, but...  
  
But it doesn't feel right.  
  
"Other people's comfort doesn't have to supersede your own," the Byleths told him, once, when he kept cannibalizing himself so that other people wouldn't look at him badly. It had taken a while for the message to stick, of course, but, well... He'd listened. He let himself wear the eyepatch.  
  
Claude doesn't ask him to explain himself. Claude just nods, as if that's all that needs to be said, and sticks his hand into the shower stall to check the temperature. "Hey, sometimes that's how it is," he says, perfectly conversational. "Anyway, looks like the shower should be hot enough." He flashes Dimitri a grin. "Ready for the first of many experiences between the two of us?"  
  
...Oh.  
  
Feeling the tension that had been clutching his heart ebb away, Dimitri smiles back. "Absolutely."  
  
  
  
  
  
By the time the others come back, Claude has been lovingly bundled in a couple of nice and _thick_ blankets on the couch, and he grins out of them while just brimming with self satisfaction. Unsurprisingly, Lorenz pauses to squint over at him incredulously, but there's also Felix heading to the kitchen with the expression of someone who Does Not Want To Know but has sort of surrendered himself to the terrible reality that he's gonna. Everyone else just sort of filters in, Raphael and Ingrid and Ignatz and Sylvain. "What are you doing?" Lorenz finally asks, because he never can leave well enough alone.  
  
"I'm in a _delicate_ condition," Claude drawls, grinning over at Sylvain when the redhead raises an eyebrow over at him.  
  
Lorenz makes a small noise of disbelief. "You say that every time it's even mildly cold," he scolds, putting down groceries onto the counter. The sound of conversation has drawn out Dimitri from the upper portions of his apartment, a bag in his hands from when he'd decided to start cleaning up early. He hasn't seemed to have realized just where this conversation could go, or what it's about.  
  
Sylvain does, however, eyes lighting up even before Claude slyly grins. "Oh, but my good Lorenz, I'm not the one who insisted on this. Dimitri did, as a matter of fact."  
  
He doesn't _plan_ on saying things outright, but then Sylvain is circling around the couch to kneel at his side with one arm going around Claude's shoulders. "C'mon, guys, have some sympathy," he coos, absolutely living for this entire situation almost as much as Claude himself is. Dimitri has paused on the last step of his stairs, with the realization of a cat that's heard something _off_. "He really _is_ in a delicate situation. I mean, just think about it."  
  
" _What_ are you talking about, Sylvain?" Ingrid says impatiently, drawing out a coffee maker- oh, it's a pretty nice one, too, he thought Dimitri didn't do coffee- out from the cupboards.  
  
"I'm just saying," Sylvain says, smugly. "He's _delicate_. All the more delicate when he's sporting a pair of hickeys I'm stunned no one else has picked up, considering how many of them there are-" And that's around the time Dimitri leaps from the bottom step, crashes into the back of the couch, and shoves his hand right over Sylvain's mouth.  
  
A more sensible or clever person would deny the claims, or at least not make things worse for themselves. Dimitri, too earnest and definitely too flustered, does not fit those descriptions, and he stammers, "There aren't THAT many, Sylvain!" It takes him a second to realize he's confirmed what could have been brushed off as just teasing... And Dimitri pulls his hand back to press both of his over his face.  
  
" _Claude_!" Lorenz groans, pinching the bridge of his nose, at the exact same time that Ingrid snaps, "Sylvain!"  
  
Hilariously enough, no one yells at Dimitri even once.  
  
Oh, sure, Ignatz goes a little pink himself and aggressively ignores eye contact. Some of the others from down the hall have started to filter in around this time, with some of them having apparently just overheard the conversation, too, if Ashe and Marianne's own pinks faces are any indication.  
  
And then you have guys like Raphael, who takes a second to realize the implications of a hickey'd up Claude wrapped up in blankets, whose only reaction is to brighten and give a big ol' thumbs up. "Congrats, you two!" he says cheerfully, while Ignatz only goes even redder besides him.  
  
Still covering his face, Dimitri slowly moves around the couch until he can move into a crouch, and leans forward until his head is bumping against Claude's knees. "Why must I continuously embarrass myself," he mutters, voice more than a little muffled considering how much he's trying to suffocate himself in Claude's blanket.  
  
Sylvain chuckles and pushes himself up onto his feet, giving a firm pat to Dimitri's shoulders as he passes. "Hey, don't worry about it, Dimitri," he says, swanning back into the kitchen with total confidence despite how Ingrid looks like she's going to take a frying pan to him. "Honestly, none of us should be surprised that the two lovebirds got frisky staying the night. And who's gonna judge you?" He gestures to himself with a loud laugh. "I mean, you're not me, the hugest slut in the room, so who am I to judge?"  
  
Before he can give one more chuckle, Raphael squeezes through the far-too-small amount of space in the kitchen and smacks one large hand down onto Sylvain's shoulder so hard that the redhead nearly buckles under it. "Nah," Raphael says simply, still wearing that lovely beaming grin of his that Claude loves so much.  
  
Even at the awkward angle that comes with watching from the couch, Claude can see how Sylvain's smile has awkwardly frozen in place from sheer confusion. "Sorry, nah what?"  
  
"Nah, you don't have to talk about yourself like that," Raphael says, continuing with that same upfront good nature that bulldozes past conversation and common sense alike.  
  
Sylvain, not ever having had a chance to realize this beforehand, tries regardless. "Oh, ha ha, that. It's just a joke, big guy-"  
  
"Nope," Raphael says determinedly, still out-sunning the sun. "You're a good guy, Sylvain, who made _really_ good food and helped out folks in the party, so you don't gotta talk about yourself like that." He gives another clap to Sylvain's shoulder, threatening to send him down through the floor into the apartment beneath Dimitri's. With that pep talk cheerfully given, he turns around to finish unpacking the rest of what could be arguably called groceries. "Now let's eat!"  
  
The entire time throughout this, Felix has swtiched from loathing the conversation being about Dimitri's dick, and instead has perked up like a cat spotting a mouse, watching this exchange intently. Sylvain himself hardly seems to know what to do in the aftermath, just standing there with a couple of bewildered blinks. Leonie, who's learned to ignore all sorts of bullshit while being in their circle of friends, claps her hands together. "Okay, let's stop talking about Claude's dick-"  
  
Raising his eyebrows, Claude rustles his hand out from his blankets and delicately places his fingertips upon his chest. Dimitri still has his face hidden against his knees. " _Leonie_! _Excuse_ you!"  
  
She rolls her eyes fondly. "I'm sorry. Can we stop talking about your _ass_?"  
  
They absolutely cannot, because Annette seems to suddenly realize something, and she gasps. "Oh, but, earlier-" She smacks her own two hands over her mouth even as she looks over to where Dedue and Mercedes are drawing out various pans and a waffle iron, and Claude realizes immediately what she had been about to say. After all, while Lorenz and Sylvain and more than a few others had gone out grocery shopping, that hadn't mean everyone had... and no one had exactly locked the door behind them.  
  
Claude actually starts to feel maybe a few ounces of embarrassment himself. It's one thing to _joke_ about how much he's gotten laid, or getting laid at all, because those are just words in the end. It's an entirely different thing to know that someone might have stumbled upon the scene and _overheard_ him getting laid. Claude is not a quiet person in bed. At least, not without preparing himself first.  
  
Holding back the urge to fidget, Claude instead gets himself onto his feet so that he can wander into the kitchen with the blankets still around his shoulder. Not completely inside, just enough to, you know. Speak a little quieter while the rest of the apartment starts to fill up with noise which acts as a very convenient cover. Dimitri trails after him, apparently more for lack of any other idea on what to do. That's fine. Claude clears his throat.  
  
"So, uh, Dedue, Mercedes, I don't suppose you two... _heard_ anything, did you?" This is what finally gets Dimitri to jolt up, looking even _more_ horrified to the point that he's utterly silent with it.  
  
Mercedes presses her finger to her cheek, humming thoughtfully. "Now, did we hear anything?" she asks thoughtfully as she looks up to her taller boyfriend. From anyone else, Claude would think that she's drawing out the moment for his and Dimitri's suffering.  
  
She's not. Of course she's not, it's Mercedes. This is proven when Dedue looks away from some flour they've gathered and says, with a completely straight face for something that Claude suspects is an outright lie, "We heard absolutely _nothing_."  
  
Dimitri moves around Claude, into the kitchen that is becoming more cramped by the second, and just hugs Dedue so tightly it's amazing that bones don't break, hiding his face in his best friend's shoulder. Not that Claude can blame him. A friend like that, you keep.  
  
"Alright, we're moving on!" Ingrid announces loudly, looking just as strained as some of the other people stuck in this apartment. "Can we _please_ get started with making breakfast? And no one talk about anyone's sex life while we're eating! _Claude_."  
  
"Hey, Sylvain was the one who brought it up in the first place! Yell at him, not me."  
  
But they all manage to get breakfast pulled together eventually, with most of the credit going to Dedue and Mercedes who seem happy to take up the work. It's a good breakfast, a real spread that manages to feed over half a dozen people, but there's a reason that they all went out grocery shopping. Lorenz also manages to show off his stuff, because he's just that kind of person. Fortunately, being that kind of person means showing off with homemade iced lattes. Not just any iced lattes, because this is Lorenz "yes his middle name is Hellman" Glouchester, but _lavender_ iced lattes, with actual homemade lavender syrup.  
  
Needless to say, it's a great start to a great morning.  
  
Breakfast is full of relaxed chatter as they all stay squeezed into Dimitri's apartment, with most of them having woken up at this point thanks to either going out on a grocery run, accidentally hearing things they were never intended to hear, or just because it's gotten to be late enough in the day. It's a breakfast that results in dragging out a little longer than breakfast regularly would, but, well. None of them really mind that much.  
  
After breakfast, there's of course the cleaning up of Dimitri's apartment to take care of, which is certainly a task to accomplish when there's so many of them and only so much room in the space. Fortunately, there are ways to thin out the crowd.  
  
Ashe and Mercedes are the first ones to clear out, wanting to bake some muffins and cupcakes for the various neighbors around Dimitri's apartment so that there's more of a guarantee that no one complains about their party. Which, ah, that certainly explains what Annette had meant when she'd referenced bribery. The same tactic must have been used _before_ last night. Speaking of Annette, she's more than happy to be their ambassador of baked goods for the complex, and Ignatz seems more than happy to assist her.  
  
Lorenz and Marianne also bounce out, but because they're interested in cleaning an entirely different space- Team DAAM's apartment, which they stayed the night over at. It's only proper, at least in the eyes of a pair of very proper and appreciative people. Perhaps if it was only Marianne, she'd waver in the face of Mercedes telling them there's no need to.... But the good news is that she's with Lorenz, who's so pushy that most people just give up in the face of him.  
  
And who knows? After dating Leonie and being bossed around by her in turn, he might even know how to clean an apartment properly. Claude certainly knows him and Hilda haven't let him skimp by in their own place.  
  
So that's a not insignificant chunk of people removed from Dimitri's place, giving them a little more breathing room. Everyone splits up to take on a different chunk of the apartment in chunks, although not before Felix drags him away towards the present pile that's been quietly left ignored in the corner. Claude's been keeping an eye on it ever since Dimitri insisted on carrying him out to the couch in the first place, wondering if Dimitri would ever eventually address it.  
  
The answer is apparently only if his friends force him to, at least while there's company. Felix's sole motivation is just to get Dimitri to take out the CD he got for him of what Claude can only assume is a favorite band between the two of them judging by the excited way they gush over it in a corner with their heads bowed together.  
  
Honestly, sometimes Claude can really get Felix's appeal, and see why Sylvain is so absolutely dumbly infatuated with him. It doesn't make up for the secondhand embarrassment he suspects is in his future, but he _does_ get it.  
  
Soon, all of them are cleaning to the sounds of hard rock, chatting over the sounds of two different vacuums ("I told you I sometimes break things and like to have spares," Dimitri had admitted sheepishly) and calling out to one another across the apartment. Floors are cleaned, dishes are washed, beds are put away, and Hilda manages to find maintenance in order to convince them to hand over a ladder so that nerf darts can be fetched from the ceiling.  
  
With Dimitri's fussing, Claude is sure that he could be allowed to just lay on the couch for a nice long while if he really wanted. But he only indulges that for maybe a grand total of sixty seconds before he's up on his own two feet, wiping down the tables they had all used both last night and the morning they've all had. While he may let most people think he's relaxed and just around for a good time, well, he doesn't like lounging around while others are working, either. Especially not when those other people are his friends.  
  
Needless to say, with so many hands on deck, they make record time in making Dimitri's apartment probably the cleanest it's ever been, save for his bedroom which remains off limits. They're just in time for what's probably a pretty late lunch, digging into the many left overs from the party. There's not enough to fully satisfy _some_ of the big stomachs they have in the building - not that he's naming any names of course - but it's enough for sixteen people to happily eat while they continue talking.  
  
It's honestly _a lot_. Sixteen people, all in the same place, interacting as much as they do? And yet, even though Claude objectively knows that, knows that even an extrovert like him would be exhausted if this were literally any other group of people... There's just something so nice and _familiar_ about all of them together like this. Eating meals together, bonding, teasing Lorenz's fussiness or asking about Annette's singing- it feels like something so natural that Claude almost can't imagine anything else.  
  
Dedue, Annette, Ashe, Mercedes - they all seem utterly used to it. Claude wonders faintly, over freshly made bread courtesy of Mercedes, on if this is how they feel every morning with each other.  
  
Unlike Team DAAM, however, most everyone else here has their own homes to get back to sooner or later, and they all begin to filter out. Much like when he'd arrived, Claude opts to leave alongside Hilda. Most of Team DAAM has returned to their own apartment, and Felix and Sylvain have left on their own too.  
  
In Claude's circle, the only people still hanging around are Raphael, Ignatz, and Marianne. Raphael is Ignatz's ride home, of course, so that's no surprise to see him still staying behind with Raphael having insisted on helping Dimitri with the dishes. Marianne is the surprise, but maybe not as much of one. After all, Ingrid seems to be just as much of a horse girl, and Claude can only imagine the conversation that has engrossed the two of them so much. They almost don't look up when Claude and Hilda give their good byes and head off back for their apartment.  
  
Snow is still visible on the ground outside of the apartment, and Claude shrinks back into his coat with a drawn out whine. Everything had been so cozy and comfy in Dimitri's apartment that he'd forgotten just what cursed season it is. "Uuuuugh. I should have asked Dimitri if I could just stay with him forever. I could sleep until it's spring again. Other animals get to hibernate, so why not humans?"  
  
"I'd ask why you're so dramatic, but this really is the worst," Hilda groans, wrapping her arms around her tightly. "I think the heating in his apartment is better than ours..."  
  
"Of course his apartment is better than ours. I'm pretty sure the brick they used to build our apartment complex was taken from old castles and given barely better electrical systems." Claude laughs a little bit, glancing around.  
  
It's a little quieter than it was the night before, with probably plenty of people still sleeping off hangovers and the like from their own parties... But it's still the city in the end, and late enough in the day for streets to be filled and stores to be open. It's a good reminder. Claude feels like being in Dimitri's apartment with all of their friends could have made its own little universe separate from everything else.  
  
Maybe Hilda is picking up on the fond thoughts rolling through his head, because she glances over at him. "You know, while you made it out to just be this huge joke... I've said it before, but you _do_ seem pretty serious about this guy. More than I've seen you be serious on probably a million years worth of dates."  
  
"We haven't known each other that long," Claude says with a chuckle. "Maybe 500 years, tops." But she's right, of course, and he puffs out a small cloud of hot air. "I definitely want to be serious... And, honestly, I don't think Dimitri knows how to be anything but. He's one of those guys who makes a commitment once he's dating, you know...?" Claude laughs again. "The exact opposite of me. But then, I guess that's the thing that attracts me to him in the first place."  
  
"You know, when people say opposites attract, they're usually full of it."  
  
"That's because they're thinking of _exact_ opposites."  
  
"And he's not your exact opposite? I mean..." Hilda leans in against him and dramatically stage whispers at him. "He's _super_ white, Claude."  
  
 _Fuck_ \- Claude bursts out cackling, almost veering into the road if not for Hilda's guiding hand. "You're just as white!" he howls once he manages to get enough air in him to form words. "Hilda, you are an incredibly white girl."  
  
"Yeah, but I'm cute, and I feel like that's a point in my favor," she says, even as she grins right back at him.  
  
"Dimitri's also pretty cute," Claude counters, eye shining as they turn down the street where their subway station is. "He's especially cute when he's all wide eyed, hair dripping around his face, giving me this adorable smile..."  
  
Hilda shakes her head, groaning in exaggeration. "Oh no, you _showered_ with him. Of course you did. Well, I'm cute in a different way. A cute girl way. Marianne was right in that he's cute in a huge dog way." While Claude laughs at that description, because it's not wrong, Hilda hums. "So how long until things become even... _more_ , I guess? You two have already gotten pretty deep."  
  
Now that's one of the questions, isn't it? Claude hums, hand to the railing as the two of them make their way down into the subway depths. "Honestly... I have no idea. I know what things I _want_ to happen between us before we get any deeper into some things... But I'm fine with letting them happen on their own time, naturally. I might want them to happen really soon, while things are still early on, but I know better than to push for it." Claude chuckles. "That's the benefit of having dated a lot, I guess. I'm just full of wisdom."  
  
"I guess that comes with experience, or something." Hilda shrugs, sliding her pass through the machine and heading through the gates first. "So what things do you want to happen between the two of you?"  
  
"Well, while it's not something that _needs_ to happen, and I'd be pleased if it didn't, I wouldn't mind us having an argument."  
  
Hilda outright stops in place to turn and give him a blank stare. It gets worse when Claude passes her, grinning widely. "Honestly, you're the only kind of person I know that would say he hopes for an argument in his romantic life," Hilda sighs, following after him. They have a few minutes before their train rolls in, it seems, so the two of them drape themselves across a spare bench. "Alright, I know how you love to play your game. Tell me why you want an argument to pop up."  
  
"Hey, it's not like I would _love_ it if it happened," Claude says, rolling his head back to rest along the bench. "But listen... Every single date I've had with Dimitri has been fantastic. I might even go so far as to say every _moment_ we've spent together has been fantastic."  
  
"They better have been, you just got railed like you've been dreaming of for _months_."  
  
A happy little sigh slides out from Claude. "I sure did," he coos, still feeling the bruises on his hips whenever he shifts and his pants rub up against the marks. He's looking forward to how his morning showers will be for probably a good week or so, where he can look in their mirror and, with a little standing on his tip toes, see the reminders of just what he and Dimitri got to do with one another. He'd gotten a little glimpse of it, when him and Dimitri had been drying off, but the bruises haven't had time to really darken yet. He's looking forward to that which, yeah, he guesses might make him a little masochistic.  
  
Mostly Claude just likes having something to remember today by.  
  
Hilda is rolling her eyes, so Claude figures he better keep on going. You know, answer her actual question. "Anyway, like I was saying. Everything has been fantastic, and I'm not upset about that or anything. However... Things aren't _always_ going to be dreamy and rose colored." Raising a hand, he waggles it a little in the air. "We're in our honeymoon period, where everything is new and fun and exciting. We're going on dates, inviting each other to parties, having sex that is only _guaranteed_ to get better... But there's more than just the honeymoon period when it comes to dating."  
  
And there's their train, rolling into place. Their conversation is put on hold, with the two of them quickly surveying the state of the car and what seats are available. So long living in a city like this, and one gains experience on just how to ride through the tunnels with minimum disaster and weirdness. Once they've settled in the most tactical spots available, Claude keeps going.  
  
"Eventually, that passion is going to ease up. We'll see more unpleasant things, whether that's just a gross habit that becomes obvious with time, rough patches, previously endearing traits that we see the flip side of..." Claude shakes his head, puffing out a breath that makes his bangs flutter. He doesn't have any of his hair supplies at Dimitri's place, and Dimitri is obviously not that kind of stylist himself.  
  
"Before we start getting more involved with each other, start making these huge big steps beyond just the usual dates, I don't think it would be a _bad_ thing if we experienced something like all that with each other. Or maybe just one of us having a bad time, and how we would cope with that for the other person. It will be a good test to see that there's more to this than just... a whirlwind passion."  
  
It makes perfect sense to him, in his head. Hilda seems to disagree, judging by the flat look she's giving him before it shifts into something more fondly and sympathetically exasperated. "Oh boy," she says. "Here we go again."  
  
"Not a great plan of action, I take it?" he asks. "Well, you know I'm always open for constructive criticism." If he'll listen to it, well, that's another matter entirely... but Claude can admit that his view of this is a little bit biased, to say the least. He's in too deep, and so being objective is made all the harder.  
  
Sighing, Hilda makes one long smooth gesture with both her hands that goes from the top of her pretty pink head and sweeps down in the direction of her shoes. "Okay, I'm only putting on my great advice gown just for you, okay? Because we're such fantastic friends. So I'll tell you the most obvious thing that sometimes you really need to be reminded of." She points a manicured nail right at his nose. "You're overplanning."  
  
" _I'm_ overplanning?" Claude actually has to laugh a little at that, not because it's actually funny, but because he can't help the disbelief. "Honestly, I feel like I haven't planned enough in our relationship." Dimitri has been the one who's planned most of their dates, Dimitri who's actually been spontaneous in their outings such as when he suggested going to the Day of the Dead event or when he burst in to ask Claude to go ice skating.  
  
It's been nice in a lot of ways, sure. Claude can admit that he has so much on his plate as it is. He may not be a manager in the Golden Deer, but he's the guy a lot of the others look to when a machine breaks or a customer tries to get their shitty way or just... when things go wrong. Then there's all his work with running their band. If he's not a manager for the Golden Deer, then he more than makes up for that _there_. Organizing meet ups and practice, making sure there are spare instruments or parts no matter who comes or what happens, keeping a finger on the pulse of the city to see what needs attention drawn to it, making sure everyone is working together smoothly.....  
  
His dates with Dimitri have been nice breaks in all of it. Yet the longer they go on...  
  
Hilda flicks some stray curl from his face. "And there it is! There's your problem. You're sooooo used to having your fingers involved in every step of the way! I mean, you were talking about how some traits can turn ugly after you've been with someone long enough, right?" She pulls back, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Well, I wouldn't call it _ugly_ , but there's the problem with your curiosity. I guess when it's near and dear to your heart, you can't just let it go. You want to know _everything_ , for better or worse." She grins at him, leaning against the car window. "Or are you going to tell me I'm wrong?"  
  
He needs a minute to give her an answer. All Claude can do is blink at her a few times as this complete read on his character sinks in. "Jeez, Hilda. I'd say give me warning next time, but I suppose you technically did, huh?"  
  
Winking, Hilda curves her fingers into a heart right over her chest. "I'm just that generous!"  
  
That makes him smile again, and Claude lets his gaze drift away. "After all that... I guess I really _can't_ say that you're wrong. I like him so much, everything's been so great, and so it feels like something is going to go wrong any day now... It feels like just a matter of 'when'. I don't know what to do about that."  
  
Hilda hums. "Isn't the answer pretty obvious?"  
  
"I think if it were obvious, I'd have noticed it by now," Claude points out, amused. "So please enlighten us plebs."  
  
"Just ignore it."  
  
"....Alright, that wasn't the answer I was expecting."  
  
Hilda gives him a sidelong grin. "I'm being serious! Whenever you have that feeling that things are going to go wrong, or feel like something has to go wrong before you can move onto the next step, just ignore it."  
  
Leaning forward, Claude places his elbow against his thigh and rests his cheek in his hand. "Is it really that easy?" he asks dryly. "I'm pretty sure that's not how the brain works, Hilda."  
  
"Boo." She waves her hand through the air. "Just repeat what I told you, or call me if that doesn't work." There's another grin. "Write it down on your arm if you need to! But while you're right that it's important to know all parts of the relationship, and that love is a choice after all the passion eases up on you... I think it's alright if you let _yourself_ let _that_ happen when it happens. Until then, you can just relax and enjoy what Dimitri will more than gladly give you, including happiness."  
  
A beat, and then Hilda leans in with a grin. "And that dick."  
  
Claude leans back with a grin of his own. "Oh, definitely that dick." Still, Hilda always does know the way to cheer him up, and he settles back into his seat with a chuckle. "Anyway... I guess you're right. I'm working myself up with things that are just hypotheticals, 'maybe this will happen', that sort of thing. But hoo.... It's going to be tough, convincing my brain that maybe sometimes things can be alright without my own meddling. Since when did you get so clever about this sort of thing, Hilda?"  
  
In no time at all, their stop is coming up, and Hilda lightly pats him on the back as the two of them stand. "A woman's intuition," she says coyly. "And also having actual experience with relationships that get this far and intense. I've been lucky."  
  
"Ah, our lovely Marianne." Hopping off of the train, Claude grins. "I guess there really are benefits to dating for a long while, besides all the really obvious ones like being with someone you love." Turning a little more sly, he waits for Hilda at the bottom of the stairs leading upwards to the street. "And now you're trying to lure one of Dimitri's friends in with your wiles too. You cunning fox."  
  
"You say it like I'm doing something awful," Hilda says, fluttering her eyelashes. "I'm giving Ingrid the joy of me and Marianne's company, that's all! Besides, you've seen how her and Marianne get along so well. We need a nice strong girl to look after the two of us! With muscular arms, and a cute way of blushing when she's complimented, and how nice her fingers are in our hair..."  
  
Careful not to slip on some snow sticking to the top steps, Claude laughs again. "Well, I wish you the best of luck in impressing her. I'm starting to notice a trend in Dimitri's childhood friends, including Dimitri, and it's that they're all a little slow on the uptake sometime."  
  
"Ooooh my god, right? Like Sylvain and Felix were just _embarrassing_..."  
  
Gossiping about other people's romance lives is definitely one way to perk Claude up, and it's a conversation that lasts them the short distance back to their own apartment. Lorenz will probably take forever getting back, not until it's properly night at the very least. Leonie never lets him get away with doing more work or fussing than is absolutely necessary. And with Leonie, well, there's hardly any reason to worry about her getting overly fussed over. Claude rather likes that about her.  
  
After spending a night and a day at Dimitri's place, three meals worth of it, it's almost a little funny coming back to their cramped apartment barely meant for three and a fake skeleton. Hilda immediately bounces back to her room, to flop onto her bed and decompress. She has the right idea, too. They both may be people people, extroverts who love learning and meeting new people for entirely different reasons, but, well... Everyone needs a while to recover from a big party like that.  
  
That leaves Claude with the rest of the apartment all to himself, from his room to the kitchen to the living space. He's more than happy to take advantage of this fact, turning on some fun festive music as the backdrop to making spiced hot chocolate. Their own special little blend, made with things filched from the Golden Deer. Eventually, after flicking through games so old that they could be allowed part time jobs, he picks on an old favorite. Just something nice and relaxing.  
  
Like spending millions of chocolate money to customize a garden for finicky creatures that then get shot through a cannon to participate in parties where they should technically be beaten alive but come back perfectly happy and whole. Viva Pinata is such a bizarre game when one thinks about it too deeply. Claude loves it.  
  
While he starts up an entirely new garden for the hell of it, raising up a small army of little pinata caterpillars, Claude allows the steady routine of it to wash him off and away. Sure, he's pretty sure him and Lorenz have their own much more advanced save files for this game. In fact, he's pretty sure Lorenz has a garden that's stupidly expensive, far more than Claude has ever bothered to go. Domestic games like this where he gets to fuss over a 'creature' and be as bossy as he likes? That's catnip to a guy like Lorenz.  
  
But Claude doesn't want to think too deeply right now. All he wants to do is go through the simple beginnings, and occasionally reach down to rub his fingers against the bruises blossoming on his hips. Like this, he can let his thoughts roll and twist at their own pace as he takes in, well... Everything. What isn't there to think over?  
  
Because even the party itself is something he wants to turn over in his head now that it's all said and done with, its revelers stuffed to the brim with excellent food and now all undoubtedly lounging around somewhere comfortable. But when it had been happening, when he'd been in the thick of it... Hadn't it felt so much better than most other parties Claude has ever gone to in his life? Which he supposes is certainly a thing to wonder with his current activity, he reflects in amusement, sending off a bird to one of many parties that it will somehow return from.  
  
....In his head - in the rosy, idealized, optimistic fantasy he can entertain for just this moment - Claude almost wishes he could have said the opposite for himself instead of the same. That he could have gone to Dimitri's party and just stayed in his apartment forever, that it could be his future. He thinks of the planning, the way Dimitri surely has fussed about disturbing their neighbors, about Annette coming over for a cooking disaster. He thinks of how happy they'd both been, surrounded by fun and food and friends.  
  
He thinks of falling asleep in Dimitri's arms, not for the first time, and how he's yet to get tired of it.  
  
He thinks of waking _up_ in Dimitri's arms, knowing he's warm and loved, cared for, adored.  
  
Of course, when he thinks about it for too long and doesn't cut himself off, well, there creep in the worried thoughts. He long ago decided he was going to live... Well, he'd lie to grease some wheels, use charisma to get his way, but Claude has never planned on changing the fundamental parts of himself. His curiosity, or his passion.... Yet he's had more than one date tell him those were too much. He was too nosy, too educated, too _much_. To him, well, Claude thinks they've always just been indicators to how unused to an existence like his other people are. There's no way he's ever changing himself.  
  
But... Hilda is right. Even if he never changes himself, he has to be aware of how some traits can be like a cliff: breathtaking view, perfect as it is, but maybe he should make sure he doesn't end up falling right off his life because of it.  
  
....Dimitri has never told him that he's too much. It's nice to _not_ hear.  
  
Claude tries to remember that, as he whittles away his evening raising fake colorful animals. He tries to commit Hilda's words to memory, that he doesn't have to push himself into knowing every little detail of their relationship for it to be _good_. It's kind of ridiculous anyway, isn't it? The future is, by its very nature, unpredictable and something he shapes with his own hands. There's no telling what will happen between him and Dimitri, if their relationship will ever go further than this... but he can at least do his best not to mangle it up right in the middle of the race.  
  
Will it be as easy as just thinking it? Claude doubts it, although he wishes it were as easy as planting some seeds in a video game garden. But on the other hand...  
  
Well. It's been easy falling in love with Dimitri. Maybe... all he has to do is keep doing that, and they'll deal with everything else along the way together, to their future.  
  
Claude smiles a little to himself, and not just because his garden is now full of Candaries. Funny, how everything is so obvious now that he's calmed down from the quiet anxiety he wasn't even really aware he was feeling. Sometimes, the world really is so much more simple than he or anyone else makes it out to be.  
  
Eventually, Lorenz comes back home, smiling and discretely adjusting his turtleneck. Hilda emerges too, hair done up in a series of buns and cheerfully holding up her laptop from which an easy recipe for garlic cheese breadsticks is displayed. Claude has already filled up the sink with plenty of dirty dishes but, with a little searching and ingenuity, they manage to get enough for a late evening snack, and settle down in the living room again all together.  
  
They don't really talk, beyond a quick discussion on a movie to watch to end the night with. It's the same thing they've done plenty of nights before, just cooling down with one another when their schedules align. Claude is pretty sure that this will be their future for a good while yet, even if that's only a year or two more. When he thinks about how alright he is with that, taking the days as they are alongside Hilda and Lorenz...  
  
He thinks he could be alright doing the same with his and Dimitri's future together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the second to last chapter! As a heads up, the next one will be a bit of a timeskip, just to wrap things up and end it on a warm, fluffy note. Because really this has just been an indulgence in that, honestly. Nothing but self indulgence. So I'm glad that people have been enjoying this, and I hope that the next chapter isn't too jarring! 
> 
> Title credit goes to my beta/friend Callie, because I was going to go with something else entirely and then she dropped this on me last night and I had to use it. 
> 
> Anyway! I technically had the last chapter written up, but recent events have had me going over to rewrite some parts of it even while I edit. So that may take a little while to pop up, but we'll see. In the meantime, if you want to know how to help protests, I have a tag for that on my tumblr at "trilies". Yes, I'm still using tumblr. Twitter still hasn't unsuspended my account after it got hacked into two months ago. 
> 
> At any rate, with V3 drawing to a close, I'm curious what other people would like me to get to writing next, if anyone has any opinions! So if anyone wants to chime in on that direction, please check out the comment section below this particular chapter. There, I'll be leaving a comment with a list of FE3H fics I'm planning on writing, just... in no particular order. Reply to that comment to let me know if there's one in particular you'd like to see next! There's a variety of oneshots, and a couple of multichapter fics. 
> 
> I'm indecisive and like all of them equally, lmao, so don't feel like you're stepping on any toes. 
> 
> (I also have a variety of KHR fics I'd like to write, but those are less relevant here, I think... Unless there are some KHR fans here, in which case, hit me up lmao.) 
> 
> Also, once again, still accepting questions on schizophrenia for the eventual one-day collab fic with Raile! That's separate from the list, ha ha.


	10. home delivery

There's truly nothing like the sound of a cat yowling for attention, save for when that exact same cat is trying to walk around everyone's feet while many heavy boxes are being hauled around. Lorenz nearly trips over him at least five times; Claude barely avoids the same fate. Maybe he has his acrobatic classes from his childhood to thank.   
  
As he wheels more boxes into the apartment, Claude makes sure to establish eye contact with the noisy little menace. "You know," he tells him, one eyebrow raised, "with how many treats you've coerced out of us when we've visited over the months, you could at least be a good roommate. You know. Not try to kill us when we're trying to move in? That's only good roommate etiquette, Lewie. And I thought you would be so happy about all of this, too."   
  
Loog-Lewis-Lewie "King (of the Apartment)" Edmund-Blaiddyd merely hops onto the kitchen counter, and blinks at him with his big ol' eyes. Orange stripes, white splotches - he could be any other stray in the city. Instead, he's the pampered feline child to a pair of adoptive parents who would give him the world and a little more. Truly, lives change thanks to adoption centers and huge bleeding hearts.   
  
Mostly Claude, Lorenz, and Hilda's lives, he's pretty sure, considering Loog leaps off of the counter to immediately pester Hilda with absolutely no care for Claude's words.   
  
Shaking his head in amusement, Claude continues to roll his latest pile of boxes into the large space that was occasionally a dining area, and is now mostly just box storage.   
  
Honestly, at this stage, _most_ of the apartment has become box storage. That's not particularly surprising. Sure, their old apartment might have only had three people in it, but the three of them had been renting it for a long while. Claude wouldn't say that they're all material creatures.... except, no, that's exactly what all three of them are, each in their own way.   
  
Lorenz alone could probably fill a little apartment all on his own with his list of creature comforts, and Hilda basically matches him on sheer numbers. Although, granted her makeup might take a little less space than the things Lorenz prefers. Claude has to admit that he's always been genuinely impressed with their organizational skills, whenever he's peeked into their rooms or watched them put together the space in their old apartment's more public areas. He doesn't know anyone else who can fit so much into so little.   
  
Of course, it would be hypocritical of him to be anything but impressed. The boxes that he starts to put to the side, a large stack that's only been growing, are covered in dragon stickers to mark them as his. They are _monstrous_ in their weight. Yeah, he can't judge them, because if he did, he'd have to judge himself, first. Books seem light one-on-one, but once they fill up all the space in a cardboard box....   
  
Nosy as ever, enough to challenge Claude's own title for the crown, Loog trots over to inspect the latest additions to his home. Chuckling as he moves the last box, Claude leans down so he can scratch behind the cat's ears. "Nothing for you, buddy. Sorry."  
  
"Really now, Claude." Putting down his own latest box, Lorenz huffs and rolls his neck to get the cricks out of it. All this manual labor has forced him to change up his usual look for this morning, with that vibrant hair pulled back into a ponytail that has, more than once, been subject to cat swatting. It would be a very charming look for him, in all honesty, save for that pinched expression on his face. "Lewis receives so much favor and overindulgence from his owners that he hardly needs a teaspoon more of it."   
  
"Cranky because the apartment cat doesn't love you more, are you?" Claude purrs, and grins widely when Lorenz pinches the bridge of his nose.   
  
It's a conversation with imperfect timing, because that's around the time that Marianne and Dimitri enter the apartment. She begins to fuss almost immediately, apparently catching some tail end of the conversation. "I'm sorry, was Loog getting in the way again?" she asks.   
  
That's the only sound the cat ever needs to hear before he's zooming off from Claude and right towards Marianne's feet. Fortunately, Marianne is only holding a relatively small box, and it's easy to place it on the kitchen counter in order to lavish attention on the king of the apartment.   
  
Of course, if Marianne is only carrying one tiny box that probably weighs almost nothing, especially in comparison to things like Claude's books... Dimitri is carrying a much heftier pile himself, bigger and guaranteed to be heavier. He doesn't seem particularly bothered by any of it as he carefully steps around Marianne, and makes his way further into his apartment.   
  
As he carefully lets the boxes join their many kin, he speaks up. "We thought about putting him in his carrier, so that he would stay out of the way..." Straightening up, Dimitri stretches his arms a little, because even a gym jock like himself is being put to the test with all the things that have been moved out of Claude's old apartment. Well, that's fine with Claude. Perching on some of the sturdier boxes, he lets his eyes take in the way Dimitri's muscles stretch and tense. "However, he doesn't like being kept in it for extended periods of time.... We are working on it, of course, but it's something that has been taking time."   
  
Speak of the devil, and a cat appears. Once Marianne stops petting him, Loog immediately darts over in the direction of his _other_ favorite human in existence. He makes quite the running leap, getting up most of Dimitri's thigh before a pair of large hands scoop him up. Dimitri is gentle to a fawning degree as he deposits Loog onto his shoulder, whereupon the cat receives even _more_ attention and adoration.   
  
"Truly the most spoiled cat in the world," Claude says under his breath, laughing a little.   
  
"Did you say something, Claude?"   
  
"Just a little tease, Mitya," he says, and feels his own grin soften into a smile when he sees the way Dimitri looks at him for just that one sentence. Or, rather, the sentence has nothing to do with anything... but rather, it's the nickname which makes Dimitri look at Claude as though he's taken up his entire world.   
  
"Mitya" is a relatively new development, honestly, a new nickname on Claude's tongue that's only really flourished in recent months... and it's been completely worth it, he has to say. Anything that makes Dimitri look at him so softly, in that way... He'd give any amount of money for it.   
  
Of course, that's when Lorenz decides to intrude on the moment - which, yeah, Claude _guesses_ was kind of public. And, yeah, he _guesses_ they should probably focus on the day ahead of them. And, sure, maybe him and Dimitri would potentially get sidetracked completely if they were allowed to have as many little moments like this with each other as they want. But still. A little bit of reading the mood wouldn't be unappreciated.   
  
"Marianne, Dimitri, he's been running amuck this entire morning." Lorenz gives an indignant sweep of his hand to where Loog is living it up on Dimitri's shoulders, the most loved cat in probably the entire apartment building. "Surely you've both noticed, haven't you?"   
  
Marianne, who could charm a three headed dog guardian of the afterlife with her voice until he was obediently heeling at her side, looks mildly embarrassed even as she drifts over to Hilda's side. "Oh, I'm sorry, Lorenz. I'm afraid I haven't." If she sounds a little absentminded, well, that would be because she immediately gets roped into helping Hilda put away some fresh groceries that she'd ducked out to retrieve from the hall. Although it would be more accurate to say it's self indulgent, considering that Hilda immediately whips up some smoothies for all of them.   
  
Politely, and also because it's fruitless (ha) to talk over the sound of a blender, Dimitri waits until Hilda is done to smile apologetically at Lorenz. "He always manages to stay out of the way when I'm here," Dimitri says, one hand rising slightly to make sure his newest furry shoulder accessory doesn't fall off and probably tear through his clothing on the way down. "Although I of course can't speak for when we're both gone..."   
  
"Oh goddess," Hilda laughs, pouring smoothies into four different glasses. "Listen to the way you two refer to him! It's like you're _parents_. I don't remember acting like _that_ when I was a kid and had pets." She grins widely over at Claude. "Have we been replaced?"   
  
Clicking his tongue, Claude leans against Dimitri's side and tilts his head back to watch Loog. Just as curious as he is, the cat glances back at him before beginning the tricky process of trying to turn around on the narrow space Dimitri's shoulders provide. "I don't know, Dimitri." Claude's grin is absolutely the kind of terrible one he knows has killed Lorenz before. "Have I been replaced because Marianne gave you a kid before I could?"   
  
" _Claude_ -!"   
  
"Oops, I meant 'cat', not 'kid'," Claude corrects, even as his grin spreads wider. While he loves Dimitri's smile, and his muscles, and the way his eyes go soft... Claude especially loves the way he gets so scandalized or stern when it comes to getting teased. "Just a slip of the tongue~."   
  
Poor Lorenz, all alone without his girlfriend to mercilessly rib him. He sighs, clearly aware of this fact, and shakes his head. "I believe we've rather gotten off track..."   
  
Hilda claps her hands together, the sound sharp in the large space the apartment provides... although not as much as it might have been, once upon a time, when it was only Dimitri living here. " _I_ think we should get off the road entirely. I mean, it's noon already! Why don't we all take a well deserved break? Which remiiiinds me..."   
  
Daintily placing the tips of her fingers together, Hilda tilts her chin down so that she can look up from beneath her eyelashes in that trademark doe-eyed look of hers that has caused the ruin of many a person. "Thank you again sooooo much for letting me borrow the blender, Dimitri! And for taking over some of the boxes when I got tired too! Your smoothie has extra love in it. By which I mean blueberries."  
  
Adjusting his shoulders so that Loog can traverse them easier, all in order to lean down and begin gently gnawing on Claude's hair, Dimitri grins Hilda. "Well, I did promise you once upon a time that I would help with any lifting you needed, or if you wanted something to borrow." His lips twitch into a small smile. "Although at the time, I can't have thought that the circumstances would be like this."   
  
No... None of them could have seen this coming, Claude supposes. It's been a good few years since him and Dimitri first started dating, one year since Marianne became his roommate, and four months since Claude, Lorenz, and Hilda all decided that they didn't care to stay much longer in their cramped and now thankfully previous apartment. Not with a landlord that had become increasingly more frustrating to deal with, at any rate.  
  
"Hilda, I'm afraid there are only four glasses," Lorenz says, snapping Claude out of his nostalgic reverie. In the time that he's been spacing out, his favorite example of a hoity toity human being has gone into the kitchen himself.   
  
"Whups!" Hilda closes one eye in a charming little wink, cute in her apologetic tone, which means all of this is on purpose for some reason. "I'm sorry, Lorenz. I just spaced out. Here, why don't you have the one I was going to take? I don't mind."   
  
Marianne immediately starts to fuss. "But you deserve a drink too, Hilda. You were working so hard this morning before Lorenz made it here... Especially when I dropped everything and you cleaned it up..."   
  
Truly, he and Hilda were blessed to not exist in a world where they'd have cat ears. Claude can almost imagine a pair twitching atop Hilda's head as she turns to beam in Marianne's direction. "Aww, you're so sweet. But if that's how you feel, how about we share one of the smoothies between us?" She winks again, holding up one finger. "I think I saw some straws in one of the drawers!"   
  
Oh, now that's _adorable_. Claude chuckles a bit watching the exchange. Hilda could be so obvious and upfront if she wanted, but she still seems to love flirting with Marianne like this, as though they're a pair of schoolgirls again. Maybe because it always seems to perk Marianne up, getting cute little gestures like this. Or maybe they both just like the game.   
  
Claude knows the feeling, especially now, with the way that Dimitri shifts in order to wind his arm around Claude's waist. Loog tries to make his way down from shoulder to arm to the connection between both men, but he quickly gives up, leaping down onto the floor. Claude only barely notices.   
  
He's more interested in the gentle tickle that is Dimitri's breath against the curly hair along Claude's neck, and the gentle sensation of lips following the curve of his ear. "I haven't had time this morning to say it," he murmurs, just for him, "but I'm glad you're wearing those earrings today."  
  
Oh, he knew that Dimitri would like them, especially with what they represent for today, as he moves in with him, and their mutual friends. That doesn't stop Claude from being any less pleased as he reaches behind him in order to twine their fingers together. "You can admire them while we get Hilda's smoothies, the ones she so generously made for us," he says, winking back at Dimitri.   
  
Well, he might say that... But even as he tugs Dimitri along into the kitchen - the kitchen that will soon be shared between all five of them, _their_ kitchen - Claude still reaches up with his free hand until his fingertips are touching lukewarm metal. That simple faint touch is reassuring, somehow... Or maybe it's not the sensation of touch that's reassuring at all.   
  
Maybe it's the memories.   
  
  
  
  
  
When Dimitri slides the blindfold down from Claude's eyes, delighted laughter leaps from his mouth. "Now isn't this nostalgic!" he says, looking upon the sign which cheerfully welcomes them to the zoo once again.   
  
No wonder Dimitri had been blaring some of his heavier rock music on the ride here; that kind of noise has definitely done its job in blocking out any sounds Claude would have used to realize their destination. It's taken a year of dating, but Dimitri has clearly learned a lot on how to handle Claude's cleverness in that year. Who knows what will happen by the next?   
  
Beaming proudly, Dimitri takes the wheel again so that he can guide the car properly into the parking lot. A space needs to be hunted down. "It's been a while," he agrees, eyeing another car pulling out and quick to slide his own vehicle into the gap before anyone else. Victory achieved, he shuts off the engine. "But since it's been a year, I thought it would be nice to visit this place again."   
  
He says it so _coyly_ , eye flicking to Claude and back again as he gets a familiar blue jacket around his shoulders- one that a viking like him absolutely doesn't _need_. Claude winks at him the next chance he gets, which happens to be when they make eye contact over the roof of Dimitri's car. The coyness, the jacket, the zoo - it's all too damn cute. "And I'm sure that it has nothing to do with today being the first anniversary celebrating our first date, right?"   
  
"Ah..." A small smile draws itself across Dimitri's lips, and he shakes his head. "I should have known you would have kept track of the date yourself. I never should have tried hiding it from you in the first place, should I?"   
  
"Heh, well... You're not the only one who's been eagerly counting down the days." Dimitri waits for him around the car, arm offered out, and Claude gladly takes it while a comforting sense of nostalgia washes over him. It became like this, too, all that time ago.   
  
Yet, at the same time, how different things are compared to then, when they both came here for the first time, both as separate individuals and as a couple. Not that they'd realized they'd become one, of course, not on that first date where Dimitri had been nervously looking at his phone to make sure he'd taken his pills for the day and Claude was obliviously checking out the attractive blond from a distance...   
  
The zoo is also different from that day, although more in the little things than anything major. It's a warmer day, today, and thus has become more bustling as people take advantage of the good weather. He can even see someone in a lion costume posing for kids in front as him and Dimitri settle into the long line.   
  
Both of them reach for their phone to take a quick snap of the image, pausing as they realize their synchronicity before they burst into laughter. When they're a little closer to the front of the line, Dimitri leans against him, his head resting against Claude's, and he can feel his heart flutter not too unlike that afternoon when a coat was draped across his shoulders.   
  
Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. He couldn't be happier that this is one of them.   
  
While the changes of the zoo are minor, the big picture has also mostly stayed the same. The map they look over upon entering still seems fairly unchanged. That's also true for a lot of the little exhibits they visit first - the ones that don't really have anything to do with the actual animals. It's a feeling that's almost more than nostalgic, a feeling as though he could close his eyes and open them again to find himself a year younger.   
  
As they wander out from the food preparation area, the penguins next on their list of attractions to visit, Claude takes out his phone with a smile. Would his old self have imagined this? Would he have thought that just one date from a strange and silly encounter could become a relationship that has his heart nearly aching from how happy he is?   
  
Dimitri takes note of what he's doing and perks up. "Oh, are you texting Hilda? Perhaps we can get her something at the gift shop before we leave."   
  
"Oh, I'm sure she would love some kitschy tourist jewelry," Claude agrees. "But this text is heading _your_ way, not hers. Honestly, you caught me before I could give you the heads up. It was just meant to be a reminder of how things have been going so far." It hadn't escaped his notice that Dimitri had been preoccupied earlier, after all. Too preoccupied to leave his usual journal notes.  
  
Sure enough, a startled laugh leaves Dimitri. "Oh- I was so excited for this that I forgot. That was my mistake." And then there's that moment, the one Claude has had months to get used to, where he's clearly struggling to not apologize. He's done it more than a few times, in the past - apologizing and feeling bad whenever Claude does something that Dimitri feels was up to him to do for his own sake. Something he felt was his responsibility.   
  
Honestly, it's been a little bit of a struggle in their relationship. Claude gets it, he does. Of course he does. Independence is important for a guy like Dimitri. While he doesn't know the _whole_ story, Claude knows enough. This is the kind of thing that Dimitri has had to really fight for, and that was after already fighting just to be in a place where he could have it at all, a stable place. If Dimitri weren't lucky in a lot of ways... He might not have it at all.   
  
Still... It's not a bad thing if someone else does something for him. If _Claude_ does something for him, and even likes that he can do it. They had to have a talk about it eventually... naturally. The sky didn't fall. Their relationship is still going strong, and was never anything he had to hold back on, or plan against.   
  
Dimitri just quietly struggles against his own nature, letting out a small breath before he smiles at Claude. Instead of an apology, he quietly says, "Thank you, Claude."   
  
He winks. "Think of it as an anniversary treat," he tells him, casually neglecting to inform his boyfriend of the _other_ anniversary treat he has hidden in the backseat of Dimitri's car.   
  
It's going to take a little bit of scheming to convince Dimitri to go to the edge of town, in a nice little isolated spot where people aren't particularly likely to stumble upon them as they watch the sunset together... and even more scheming so that he can grab a chance to slip on the body harness he has waiting for him, in a time and place Dimitri won't suspect.   
  
He as lucky enough to buy it for himself before Dimitri could buy it for him, when they saw it on a website a couple months ago. The guy is way too self dependent for gifts, Claude swears. Fortunately, he won the race this time, and has a few ideas already on presentation. If worse comes to worse, then he's always been great at improvisation, too.   
  
_That_ is for later, however. Here in the present, they go through the zoo much the same way they did a year ago, when they weren't so familiar with the place, or each other. Some animals have clearly had their exhibits remodeled, or gotten more roommates, or less. Yet overall, a lot has remained untouched, likely so that the animals aren't bothered or stressed by too much change.   
  
With that said, it's unsurprising that the place which has gone the most notable change is the escape room which is still happily where it was last year. It's not a complete overhaul, since the puzzle theme of course still has to stay connected to zoos or at least animals in general, but the theme _has_ changed.   
  
Brochures have even been left out, for once, at the window counter, and they detail a story of how some ambitious avians have ended up a lot more clever than anyone expected. _That_ is the reason everyone is "trapped" this go around. It's still silly, still a little childish, but it still looks _fun_ , and that's the most important part.  
  
The eyepatch girl from last year still works there, as it turns out. Her and Dimitri share yet another Socially Awkward Eyepatch Bonding moment, patiently ignored by the beanie from before as he rings the two of them up. In another difference from last year, there's actually enough people this time around to form an actual real group.   
  
It's a small family, one that would almost be nuclear if the individuals involved weren't so unique in their own way: a dumb boisterous blond of a father who insists he's a teacher which _might_ be true, his wife a much more serious and quiet brunette that gives murderous rabbit vibes, and finally their anxiety riddled son.   
  
It's stupid, and it's silly, with bird themed puns shoved in every possible place they can be, and a few they shouldn't be at all. They almost don't make it out in time, thanks to some dumb shenanigans on the part of the blond dad and Dimitri's own fumbling with some puzzles. They also almost end up adopting the kid away from his parents, too, with how much Dimitri latches onto him dotingly.   
  
Claude loves it. Every second of it.   
  
"When did you get so good at handling kids?" Claude asks a little while later, when they're finally out of the escape room and he's in the process of tugging Dimitri's arm around his shoulder to absolutely zero protest.   
  
Dimitri chuckles, letting his hand rest along Claude's shoulder. "Do I not look like I'm good at dealing with children?" he asks, gently squeezing down.   
  
"I suppose it's just not something I get to see from you a lot. Although maybe I shouldn't be surprised." Claude grins. "You _are_ the guy who managed to win over the hearts of an apartment's worth of children with your underhanded soda schemes."   
  
"Oh, hush, you." Dimitri presses a kiss into Claude's hair with a wide smile. "So, how was I this time around? Did I have more fun by your standards?"  
  
It only takes a brief second for Claude to catch onto what he means, and he huffs out a quiet laugh under his breath. He's known for a long time now, perhaps ever since they immediately had lunch together on that very first date, that Dimitri has never really blamed him for how he messed with him in the escape room the first time around. That had been nothing short of good luck on both their parts; it's nice to know that Dimitri can joke about that kind of thing these days. Still, it hadn't been a good thing to do just because he was lucky there were no consequences.   
  
"Oh, you absolutely nailed it." Lightly, fondly, he nudges his elbow against Dimitri's side. "I'm starting to wonder if you should take on a teaching career for little kids. They'd love you."   
  
"Oh, no." Dimitri's eyebrows rise up in surprise. "I can't imagine I would ever get hired for that sort of thing. Although I... suppose it's nice to daydream about..." Ha. Claude's grin softens into something of a smile as he watches Dimitri's gaze, the way it drifts off a little in vacant consideration.   
  
It's always been more than obvious to him that Dimitri loves playing with kids, being the mentor or big brother type. It's probably why he got on with Annette and Ashe in the first place whenever they all first met; even now Dimitri lavishes attention onto them like they were his own younger siblings.   
  
Well, whether it can happen or not, whether Dimitri _wants_ it to happen or not, the thought is in his head now. Claude will let him have the time to chew on it, and of course help him with it if that's what he wants.   
  
For now, he just leans against Dimitri a little more. "If nothing else, I know there are some younger people in the band that would love to have a big, tough, and friendly guy like you to show them the ropes. But that's for later. Right now, I think someone else is going to be happy to see you."   
  
"They must already be tired of people today," Dimitri notes with a shake of his head. "Or even simply tired of the game." Maybe he has a point. After all, as they start approaching the lion exhibit, it's pretty clear that plenty of the lions look rather content with what they all have going on right now.   
  
Perhaps because of the good weather, most of them are out in the main exhibit area playing with each other. One notable example would be a lioness who's constantly chasing her companion into the shallows of the water until he's stomping out again with soaking wet paws and a grumpy expression. It's a pretty cute sight - not for the lion himself, of course, but Dimitri is already beaming as he catches a glimpse of their shenanigans.   
  
Of course, where there's so many lions out on display, that means a whole lot of people have come by to check them out. The tug-of-war rope is still in place, with a rather noisy group of guys clustered around it. Yet no matter what they try to do, most of the lions seem to be ignoring them, with a couple not looking particularly impressed.   
  
Claude patiently waits for them to wander off when it's clear that no lion will take the bait, and then nudges Dimitri closer. "Well, in the case of those guys, I think it's because their yelling wouldn't appeal to anything with the ability to hear them," he teases, winking up at Dimitri. "Why not give it a go?"  
  
Shrugging, Dimitri slides his arm out of Claude's grasp. "I'll do it because you asked me to, again," he says, stepping up to the rope with an amused tilt to his smile. "But I really don't think... Oh."   
  
That's when Dimitri has to pause, thanks to a lioness which has perked up at his approach. Abandoning her sunbathing, she gets up with a long lazy stretch before approaching to lazily inquiring about the other end of the rope with a light bat of her paw. She does it a couple of times, actually, before looking up inquisitively at Dimitri on the other side of the glass.   
  
In turn, Dimitri looks back at Claude with a look of positively shocked befuddlement. "Did you bribe the lions before we arrived here?" he accuses playfully. He knows just as well as Claude that sort of thing is outright impossible with how Dimitri sprung this trip onto Claude as a surprise. "How on earth can you do that?"   
  
A loud laugh bursts out of Claude, right from the very depths of his chest. "Hey, don't try to accuse me of bribery!" He winks, tucking his hands into his pockets now that he doesn't have Dimitri at his side to warm him up. "You know what? I think she might actually be the same lioness from last year you played with."   
  
"Oh, do you think so?" Dimitri takes his words completely at face value, and glances towards the lioness again. "I wonder if the memories of a lion can truly be that good... Well, I don't want to disappoint her, then. It's unfortunate that it may make the commotion they dislike even worse."   
  
It's not only the lions that will be unimpressed at all the noise, if Dimitri's own head shake is any indication. He didn't care for all the attention last year, either. Regardless of that fact, he shrugs out of his light jacket to reveal a simple tee shirt underneath. Just like before, Claude accepts it with a grin.   
  
Honestly, he wasn't even lying when he said that. While he's watched a certain little video a lot less ever since he got to regularly put his hands all over the real thing, it's still something he's played probably hundreds of times by now. Of course, his attention was always focused most towards Dimitri. That had been the main point of it. Yet Claude is the kind of person who's always focusing on the details. That goes doubly true when he's rewatching something a dozen of times, every time bringing to light new details, or something else to appreciate.   
  
So obviously he had noticed various details about the lioness from a year ago - her build, certain scars on her body, patterns along her fur. Claude is more than sure enough of his own memory, and he'd bet actual money that it's the same lovely lady from back then.   
  
Just like last time - possibly even more than last time - such a tug of war spectacle draws a small and excited crowd. Just like last time, Dimitri eventually concedes victory to the lioness who wears satisfaction around her like a crown. Dimitri wastes no time in hustling himself and Claude away from the exhibit and the gathered crowd, escaping the many gazes there before it can get to be too much.   
  
While he's shrugging himself back into his jacket and retrieves his phone to check the time, Dimitri makes a small noise of remembrance. "Oh, that's right..." He glances down at Claude with a hesitant smile. "Before we have lunch, would you mind if we took a brief while to go watch a show they're doing nearby, Claude? I saw it was advertised when I was planning all of this."   
  
A show, huh? That could describe a lot of events in the zoo. Claude grins back. "Hey, anything to take a break from all the walking we've been doing. Lead the way, Mitya."   
  
It's a new nickname, casually dropped, and he watches as Dimitri comes to a complete stop, all while blinking a couple of times in realization. "Mitya?" he echoes.   
  
"That's right," Claude confirms. "Mitya. From Dimitri." With his eyes shining from underneath his eyelashes, Claude smiles. "What do you think of it?"  
  
There are a lot of great and beautiful things in the world; Claude is blessed to say that he's seen more than a few of them. He has so many examples that it's kind of difficult figuring out where to even start. Should he think of his family first? How, even with the many troubles and tensions that exist with them, he'll always feel such a serenity whenever when takes in a deep breath of Almyran cooking?   
  
Maybe he could recall all of his experiences with his activist band, like the energy that fills the practice room when they all first gathered together for this little idea that didn't seem like it would go anywhere. Or what about the first time he rallied the band together in a protest, seeing their eyes all turn to him for guidance, for encouragement? Or maybe it had been looking out into the crowd during that first performance, and feeling his body feel alight with an indescribable feeling as he'd watched the rest of the protest nearly glow with renewed energy.   
  
A million little things besides that: the blend of colors stretching over a city in the dawn, watching a falconer as a kid and seeing two entities almost seem to act as one despite separated flesh and soul, so many instances of simple human kindness that make him think the world really can become incredible if they just keep working for it... He'll never forget any of it.   
  
He won't forget this, either: the way Dimitri's gaze softens in such a lovely ache, how his lips curve into a smile so tender it takes Claude's breath away, a gentle and sweet touch just to the back of Claude's elbow...   
  
"I love it," he says quietly, and Claude knows he means it in a way that goes so earnestly bone deep.   
  
That's another great and beautiful thing.   
  
The show that Dimitri apparently saw advertised has to do with the different kind of primates that exist in the world. Granted, for the purpose of the show, that means mostly using the cute and cuddly kind who have the least likelihood of going absolutely feral and horrifically maiming someone. The zoo employees don't say as such, of course, because presumably they have common sense. Well, no matter how cute the monkeys might be, Claude never thought they were an animal Dimitri cared about before to any particular degree.   
  
Eh. Obviously he has some sort of interest now, so Claude is more than happy to indulge him as the two of them make themselves as comfortable as they possibly can in cheap plastic zoo seating. The show is pretty cute and informative, honestly, which is only to be expected of a zoo show featuring adorable animals. A lot of the jokes are even pretty funny, with puns and gags that obviously had a lot of thought put into them before the show ever went live. It's honestly not bad - pretty enjoyable even.   
  
By the end, along with all the families and their kids, he's clapping for the whole performance. Unlike most of those people, however he doesn't leave immediately with the show finished. That's because of the hand Dimitri sets on his shoulder even as the two of them are getting out of their seats. "I was thinking of asking the trainer a couple of questions. Would you mind waiting a little while longer for lunch?"  
  
"You sure keep delaying lunch, huh?" Claude chuckles, stretching his arms up over his head. "There still better be some left for us after the hordes of families have cleared out the grill and any vendors around. But I'm fine with it, if you're confident that we'll still be able to feed ourselves. You especially need some lunch, after your match with the lion."   
  
"I don't think it will take too long," Dimitri promises him, and offers him a hand. So he's going to be a part of this conversation too, huh? Claude doesn't mind, smiling to Dimitri as he accepts that hand so that Dimitri can escort him all the way down the stairs to the performance area.   
  
By the time they get there, past all the seats and steps, most of the monkeys seem to have been taken back to wherever they need to go. Maybe that's a little separate chill out area for them to get over all the attention, or maybe it's straight back to their enclosures. Claude can't say he's an expert in educational performance animals.   
  
All that's left on the stage would be one of the trainers, and a small monkey that they're keeping along their shoulders. Thanks to both his reading of zoo exhibit signs and the educational show that they just finished watching, Claude can recognize it as a Capuchin monkey.   
  
A lot of toys are still scattered around the temporary monkey playground, from the tinier things that they can toss and catch around in their little monkey hands to the much larger sets that are like cat trees, but for monkeys, with little bridges connecting one or two while others have little toys installed in their very design.   
  
The trainer seems more than happy to hold back on clean up for a little while longer to talk to the two of them, keeping their little monkey friend occupied at the same time with a talent born of experience. Before long, them and Dimitri have launched into a conversation about the kind of enrichment play that monkeys prefer the most.   
  
Claude wouldn't have said, beforehand, that it's a topic he has a lot of investment or interest in... But on the other hand, it's him. He's _always_ curious about _everything_. So he participates, a little bit, making noises of acknowledgment, nodding his head, asking a question here or there.   
  
But this is ultimately Dimitri's conversation, so he leaves it to him. After a little while, the trainer offers to give them a slightly more personal demonstration of just what their little monkey can do, after most of the audience has finally filtered out of the area.   
  
Honestly, at that rate, Claude isn't even that surprised when Dimitri turns to look down at him with that pretty blue eye sparkling hopefully and his lips curved in a sheepish little smile. "Could we stay just a _moment_ longer?" he asks, as if he's a kid who needs permission. Well, it's really the opposite that's happening here.   
  
They are going to have _such_ a late lunch, but what is he supposed to do? He can't say no to a cute expression like _that_. "I think we can stay a little while," he agrees, like an absolute sucker for his beefy and cute boyfriend, and gets rewarded for his trouble by another one of those brilliant smiles. With permission given, he turns his attention back to the trainer and their monkey as well.   
  
With all the play items still around the area, it's pretty easy for the trainer to get things ready. First, the monkey is put in their little carrier so that they can't see exactly what the trainer is doing, or run off to cause mischief. With that taken care of, the trainer promptly goes around the area, placing various cups around upside down. Claude is pretty sure he spots them putting something underneath one of the cups, but, with their back to Claude, it's hard to see exactly what it is.   
  
Probably a treat, if he had to guess, or maybe something that is given to the trainer in exchange for a treat. This is supposed to be enrichment play, after all. It doesn't really matter what exactly it is, Claude guesses. With all of that done with, the monkey is set loose again while the trainer makes sure to follow close behind the little scamp as they immediately starts investigating their play space all over again.   
  
Claude won't lie: it's _adorable_ watching the monkey carefully peer under every cup, only to flop back in a clear case of overdramatics when it only finds empty space waiting for them. A guy can really notice the human-monkey connection in moments like these. After all, there are only so many creatures in the world that really aspire to such melodrama, with monkeys and humans placing definitely up in the top. Him and Dimitri do their best to give quiet little cheers for the monkey, encouraging the tiny troublemaker on.   
  
Eventually, one of the cups is upturned, and the monkey gives a chitter of delight as their little hands surge towards... something. Claude isn't entirely sure what it is, honestly. At least, he's not sure until the monkey hops back onto the trainer's shoulders so that the pair can walk back to them, whereupon the little primate leans forward with a tiny cardboard box held gingerly in both hands. Tiny, simple. The kind jewelry is kept in.   
  
Understanding wells up in him almost before his observations have had a chance to solidify into thoughts, before he can even finish extending one hand so that the monkey can deposit their prize. "Someone certainly planned something behind my back while I wasn't looking," he says, casting a pleased little smile from underneath his eyelashes. With a job well done, the trainer steps away to reward the monkey for its Cupid-like participation, and also to give him and Dimitri a little bit of privacy.   
  
Sheepish but undeniably satisfied with how things have gone according to plan, Dimitri bows his head and smiles at Claude behind his bangs. "I did think about doing something like this in a more public matter, since I know you don't care about crowds one way or the other... but I thought it might be a little too much for me. Annette thought that something like this could work, after the show itself, and the zoo was fortunately more than amiable towards the idea."   
  
Objectively, purely _objectively_ , Claude knows he can't give Dimitri an award for being the most adorable boyfriend in the entire world. That's just pure bias. He feels he's right, but it's pure bias. Yet that doesn't stop the feelings from blossoming in his chest anyway, putting his heart into bloom, and he has to redirect his smile down towards the box he's still holding. Otherwise, he feels he might disintegrate from pure love alone.   
  
"You're really something," he says softly, before he gently pops the lid off. It's not hard or complicated. It's the kind of box that would carry any kind of store bought jewelry, likely chosen so that he could do what he's doing right now: open it immediately to see this precious anniversary gift that Dimitri has gotten for him.   
  
He's glad that decision was made, as he looks into the box, because the jewelry waiting for him inside is anything but simple and uncomplicated. Inside lay a pair of earrings, brilliant in the autumn sunlight. They're not the kind of earrings which are huge and dangle, which makes sense since Claude can't imagine Dimitri ever picking out a pair like that unless the recipient was very blatantly and vocally into that kind of thing. Claude isn't. Not usually. Besides, those would have required a bigger box, and a bigger box would have been hard for tiny monkey hands to hold.   
  
Yet while the earrings might be of the smaller variety, little things that he can slide in with no fuss, that doesn't mean they aren't beautifully intricate as well. There's a delicacy to the way the earrings have been inlaid with a swooping swirl of a pattern, something beautiful that had to be chosen with the utmost care. It's Dimitri; they can't have been chosen with anything _but_.   
  
Claude doesn't - can't - wait a second longer. Resting the box on a nearby chair, far away from any playful monkeys that might slip loose from their trainers, he immediately begins to remove the earrings he's currently wearing. They're nothing fancy either, only a pair of tiny hoops, so it's not that hard.   
  
Just like that, his old earrings are out, and the new ones are in, snug where they press into his skin. "It's a shame that I can't admire myself in a mirror right now," he says, turning around and sliding his arms around Dimitri's shoulders. "But there's something else I want to do far more."   
  
And that's kissing Dimitri, something he'll never regret doing.   
  
Needless to say, a _lot_ of thanks are given to the trainer, once Claude can stop kissing Dimitri stupid. The monkey gets a couple of thanks as well, for being the star of the show, and that includes handing off a few treats. Yet they don't waste anymore time there, with their stomachs grumbling and Dimitri's goal accomplished.   
  
Unfortunately, all this monkeying around means a lot of seats are taken at the grill when they finally arrive, and the table that they do get isn't one by the windows. It's a little bit of a pity, honestly, to be unable to watch the otters playing around as they eat... but Claude can't blame anyone else for taking those seats. They're the best in the house. He knows from firsthand experience.  
  
Or... He takes that back. The best seats in the house would be the ones him and Dimitri take, with pizza inbetween them, and their hands linked across the table.   
  
Sometimes - right now especially - Claude feels glad that he never really went to the zoo a lot before he started dating Dimitri, that he had no reason or interest in it. Now... Now it's something that he will always think of in the context of them together, like this.   
  
  
  
  
  
It take some concentrated effort, but eventually they do manage to transfer all of their stuff up into the apartment. Granted, it takes a _hell_ of a lot of concentrated effort. Hilda might be forever lost to them. Who knows.   
  
Still, on the bright side, that means most of the rooms are filled with various boxes to various people, with the dining space definitely not fulfilling its intended purpose. At least the living space is, with every single one of them draped over a different piece of furniture or, in Dimitri's case, across the floor.   
  
Honestly, they're lucky most of them even have furniture to drape over. To better move things and make room for all the boxes, most of it had to be moved out of the way. If it were just the four of them - Hilda, Lorenz, Marianne, and Claude himself - he's pretty sure that every single one of them would have just surrendered to the ground.  
  
Fortunately, they have Dimitri, and Dimitri somehow had enough energy in his body to push some of the furniture back into position in this open concept hell. Or maybe it was less that Dimitri had energy, and that furniture just weighs nothing to a man with muscles like that. It's unclear. Claude is exhausted.   
  
Yet no one is more exhausted than Hilda is, that's for sure. She's draped herself across the entirety of the couch, groaning her utmost misery straight into the cushions. "I'm never moving again!" she whines, even as her girlfriend indulgently rubs her back. Marianne, unsurprisingly, is in the exact opposite position in terms of exhaustion. At least that's working out well for Hilda... or the cause for all this in the first place. One or the other, or both. "Dimitri, you can't die, or stop having money. I can't do this again. I just can't!"   
  
What Hilda can do is wobbly push herself up onto her elbows, all in order to reach out for the enormous pizza waiting for them on the coffee table. Well, waiting for most of them, anyway. Still, it's a pizza well deserved. If there is any kind of domestic suffering that permits a disregard for actual cooking, then the suffering and exhaustion which comes with moving definitely nears the top of the list.   
  
Still, the reason it can only be for _most_ of them is because of Dimitri's diet. Locked in place by his own morals, Dimitri has taken to laying sprawled out on the floor with a tuna salad sandwich in his hands. Recently freed from the ponytail it's been in this whole day, his hair lays all around him in clunky uneven waves. The sandwich is being eaten willingly, sure. Dimitri, like most human beings, likes food. Presumably he likes this kind of food particularly, since he made it for himself earlier.   
  
Yet none of those factors stop his gaze from following mournfully after Hilda's hand as she takes the slice up to her mouth for a delicious bite. The poor soul. Claude makes a note to save a couple of slices. They should last long enough in the fridge to make it to Dimitri's next cheat day.   
  
"You should really come with me to the gym, Hilda," Dimitri says, once he's torn his attention away from that pizza slice and stifled his own cheese envy. "I really do believe you have the body for it, so at this point, it's really only a matter of building up your stamina."   
  
"Of course, if you truly do not have the energy or time for such things, that's perfectly understandable," Lorenz adds, his usual attempt at sitting _neatly_ ruined by the way he's slumped back in his chair. It doesn't help that it's hard to eat pizza elegantly, too, although that doesn't mean Lorenz hasn't tried countless times before. Unfortunately for him, most people don't think of "elegance" when they see a person eating a regular slice of pizza with a knife and fork. They just think you're a little bit of an oddball. "I believe we would have managed perfectly fine even if you were not here at all."   
  
With his feet resting on Dimitri's thighs, Claude snorts. "I mean, sure, that would have been possible, if we place Dimitri's death from overexertion as a condition for things going 'fine', Lorenz. That would be the perfect new roommate gift. Of course, unless you meant you were the one volunteering for an early death." On the ground, Loog works his way around Claude's feet in the pursuit of divine tuna salad. All Dimitri does is patiently nudge that little cat face away with his hand, like he's done it a thousand times before. He probably has.   
  
"I'm sorry, Hilda," Marianne says sheepishly, still gently massaging her girlfriend's back. "It's all because of me. I was the one that dropped that box..." Granted, in Marianne's defense, that box was one of _Claude's_ boxes. You know. A box filled with an ungodly amount of books, that Marianne should never have been carrying in the first place. Even as one of the smaller boxes, it was still a menace to society and the rest of them in turn. They'd all been lucky that, when Marianne had dropped it, that it had just narrowly avoided landing on her foot.   
  
So, all in the name of achieving a moving day where no one was terribly injured, it had been agreed that Marianne would be moved over to other tasks less likely to cause grievous injury. Any slack was to be picked up by Hilda. For example -   
  
"Oh, don't worry about it, Marianne." Dropping all her grouching at the drop of a hat, Hilda smiles back at her. "You still were doing a lot of good work like unpacking a bunch of our stuff! Including a certain someone's wardrobe, since he has to have his prettiest clothing ready for tomorrow..."   
  
With pizza crust sticking out of his mouth like a cigar, Claude holds up his hands defensively. "Hey, don't blame me! I can't help that the interview is set for tomorrow. That's the time Cali was good for, and, well, it's always best to strike while the iron is hot..."   
  
"The iron certain seems to be hot constantly nowadays," Dimitri sighs, holding his sandwich out of reach from Loog. "The town hall meeting yesterday, moving everything from your old apartment today, and then a live interview on the news tomorrow... I shall be quite glad if what remains of our week is peaceful, and that the week after this becomes quiet. Well, as quiet as one can imagine..."   
  
Hilda snaps her fingers. "Oh, that reminds me - Marianne, can you go get my phone? I should make sure that the news is spreading for that on social media..."   
  
While Marianna goes to get their phones from the kitchen counter, Lorenz forces himself to straighten up in his seat in order to peer around the coffee table and meet Dimitri's eye. "Speaking of one of those metaphorical irons... How is Felix doing? I know there was some kerfuffle during the meeting, but I never managed to hear more the full story, considering all the activity and things we've had to do. You said he would be fine, but it's hard to be sure with Felix of all people..."  
  
"I have the answer to that!" Hilda announces proudly, jolting upwards only to immediately be awash in regret as her sore muscles remind her of their existence. Claude would feel bad for her, but Marianne immediately begins to fuss over her, letting Hilda's head rest against her chest, so it feels like it would be just a _bit_ of misdirected sympathy. While Marianne strokes her hair, Hilda accepts her phone back and begins flicking through it. "Sylvain sent me a video last night before I turned in, and it's _great_. Did you know that Felix's _dad_ showed up?"   
  
Dimitri finally pushes himself upright, chasing Loog off of what should have been a nice fleshy mattress for a cat (read: Dimitri's abs). "Wait, he filmed that? That's what he was doing?"   
  
"Yup. Here - " Against all odds, the rest of them somehow find the energy to cluster around the couch where Hilda is, although Dimitri stays firmly on the floor. At least Hilda is obliging, making sure to situate her phone perfectly so that everyone has a good enough view of the video she starts up.   
  
Almost immediately, Claude recognizes where exactly the video is taking place at. It's one of the subway tunnels spread all throughout town. Some people might have an issue with that description just from how vague it is, and how quickly the camera moves.   
  
Fortunately, the speed of the camera doesn't matter when it comes to Claude. Whenever he's down in the subway himself, he's practically always running around. At this point, Claude suspects he recognizes _most_ underground storefronts and various direction signs as blurs more than in stationary clarity.   
  
The jerky speed of the camera stops soon enough as its handler does his absolute best to be subtle, landing on a small group of four people. Two of them are immediately recognizable, on account of how one of them is on the floor of the apartment right now watching, and the other is his best friend who regularly attends protests ever since he was first introduced.   
  
Claude could recognize them from their backs alone: the straight and proper way Dimitri tries to hold his spine when he's around people in public, the trademark messy way Felix always keeps his hair pulled back. That's the benefit which comes with knowing people for a few years.   
  
In contrast, the other two men are almost complete strangers, while simultaneously incredibly familiar. The Fraldarius genes must be ridiculously distinct, because there's zero doubt looking at the two of them that they're related to Felix. Claude can see so much of him in the other two.   
  
One of them is an older man, same sharp lines on his face that make his son look so severe and yet give _him_ a more distinguished look in turn, while the blue tint of his hair is almost exactly the same. What's different is the soft way it forms waves around his face, offering a more obvious warmth. Honestly, all things said, he offers up a pretty good look at what Felix's appearance will be like when he's older. Granted, Claude can't ever imagine Felix growing the mustache that his father wears... but close enough.   
  
If he's truly objective and honest, Claude would say that Felix's dad could Get It. However, he won't say it. Ever. Claude has a working will to live, and he'd rather that streak not get ruined by the world's worst sword gremlin tackling him into the concrete. Still, doesn't change fact.   
  
The other guy is similar-but-different in, well, an entirely different way. On one hand, there's no denying that sharp facial structure which matches Felix and his dad, but his hair is much darker, and it's easy to see how the long braid tossed over his shoulder is barely restraining the natural waves to his hair. Yet even at the distance the camera is located at, it's clear that he shared the same kind of brilliant amber eyes that Felix has, in contrast to the cooler gaze of Felix's father. When it comes to age... If Claude had to guess, he'd pegged him as older than Felix, but definitely much younger than the father.   
  
What has to be the most notable thing about him, however, is that he's in a wheelchair, with his elbows braced against his knees as he leans forward for whatever conversation is happening right now. Claude would say he's _impressed_ , except that's not quite the right word he thinks should be used.   
  
It's only be relatively recently that he's learned what a shitshow their public transportation system is towards people with disabilities, with "unfriendly" being a rather tame and yet still more charitable description in even the better parts of the city. The area they're all talking in is definitely one of the subways down near the town hall... Is that one friendly to wheelchairs?   
  
He can look it up later; the camera has focused on the group just in time for Felix's dad to be caught in the middle of a sentence. "-credibly irresponsible, Felix. I've told you time and time again that you shouldn't pick fights against so many people like this. I almost couldn't believe it when Dimitri called me. This isn't how you were raised at all."   
  
"Seriously, Felix." The third Fraldarius jerks his chin up towards Felix. "I can't believe you." But then there's that familiar sword-slash of a smirk, one Claude has seen on Felix's own face plenty of times. "How could you have gotten _caught_? This is why you slug them and _run_ , or at least get a group of friends, if they're not going to play fair to start with."   
  
Ah, yes. Truly a Fraldarius. If the physical parts weren't enough of a clue, then the personality definitely gives the game away.   
  
Right near the camera's mic, Sylvain can be heard almost immediately trying to cut off his wheeze of a laugh. While the elder Fraldarius delicately presses his fingertips along his head as though that will fend off the impending migraine, Felix just leans over the other man. "There were still cameras around, _Glenn_ , so it's not as if running would have done me any good." Despite his words, however, the camera manages to catch just the right angle to show his own vicious little grin.   
  
"Then wear a mask," Glenn retorts, eyes shining. "It can't be that hard to find a cheap one-" That's around the time that a certain older hand presses down onto Glenn's head, grinding down with a certain fervor that ruffles up his hair. Choking on his own words from the surprise attack, Glenn flails one hand back to get Mr. Fraldarius' hand off of him. "Alright, alright, I get it, old man! I'll knock it off, damn."   
  
Mr. Fraldarius looks as though he is reconsidering his past self's decision to sire children, especially two of them. It's an expression that is at war with what is undeniably some faint traces of amusement in his eyes. "The point is," he says, trying to continue on seriously, "is that this could have seriously hurt you, and I worry, Felix. We're fortunate that it was only the town hall security that got involved. Something worse could have happened, and, at the very least, I imagine you would have to post bail."   
  
Having politely stood to the side while all of this is being exchanged, the Dimitri in the video finally speaks up. "I understand your concern perfectly, Rodrigue." Well, that's certainly an interesting little relationship quirk, Claude notes. He can't think of a lot of other people who would refer to their childhood best friend's dad by his first name.   
  
Mr. Rodrigue Fraldarius sends an appreciative smile over to the blond duckling towering over his own two gremlin children. "Thank you, Dimitri," he says, only not in time, as Dimitri continues to speak.   
  
"However, there's no need for you to worry about Felix becoming destitute from paying bail. _I'll_ be certain to take care of it myself in the event that ever happens, as it's my responsibility that he became engaged in the band and the resulting activism. It's the least I could do!"   
  
And he sounds so _earnest_ when he says all of that, too, a complete Boy Scout, save that Claude knows he's also a little shit. It's enough that Hilda needs to cover her mouth with one hand, like that's hiding her huge grin. Unfortunately, it's hard to get a good look at Dimitri's no doubt radiant smile when the camera angle really isn't at the best for it.   
  
There's another bitten back wheeze of laughter from Sylvain. Down there in the thick of it, Glenn slams his mouth over his hand as though that is anywhere _close_ to what can block his delighted howling. Felix is absolutely silent in contrast to all of them. That's fine. Felix is the kind of person who doesn't need to snicker, or guffaw, or howl in laughter. All he needs to do is _radiate smugness_.   
  
It's an incredible talent, if Claude is quite honest.   
  
Rodrigue's expression freezes, smile stuck in place, before he sighs and seems to give up on the conversation as it is. "I do appreciate it, Dimitri," he says, resting his hand on Glenn's head again and ignoring the way his arm is smacked at. "I'm glad that you've always been able to take my son's more troublesome qualities in stride."   
  
"I'm _right here_."   
  
"Yes, and I just had to discuss the possibility of someone posting your bail. I believe I've earned some exasperation, as your father. Now, if the boot ever lands upon the other foot, I am more than willing to stand to the side without comment as you say things like that about _me_ in front of my face."   
  
Glenn's howling is now completely unrestrained. "You say as though it isn't bound to happen one day-"   
  
Felix's outraged words can barely be heard underneath it. "How about you fight me, old man-"   
  
"Glenn, I swear to the Goddess it's your fault that he learned such crass language."   
  
"Hey! Don't blame me, he got that way all on his own-"   
  
"Also, Sylvain Jose Gautier, I _do_ see you over there, and I trust that this won't end up on Youtube-"   
  
There's a harried whisper of "Oh, shit" right besides the camera's mic, and the video goes black.   
  
The real life Dimitri that is their roommate gives an idle hum, casually ignoring the way Claude has had to stuff his own fist inbetween his teeth in order to hold back his cackling. "Oh, right. I recall Rodrigue calling out Sylvain on something. I hadn't really been paying attention at the time. Glenn and Felix had gotten all worked up, so I had been far more invested in the two of them."   
  
Out of all of them, Lorenz is probably winning at the competition in holding back his smile. Even Marianne is giggling a little bit, although she's clearly trying to not feel too guilty about it. Compare that to Lorenz's delicately placed hand, hiding behind it a slight smile. "The Fraldarius family certainly seems to be one of... _personality_. Do they not like one another?"   
  
To Claude's eyes, it had been pretty clear that every single Fraldarius had cared a damn lot for one another, even when displaying annoyance or exasperation, but he can understand why Lorenz feels the need to ask. After all, Felix isn't the only person with a family full of _personality_ , although Lorenz's family is definitely a lot more overbearing. Figuring out how other people live is something he occasionally still needs to check in on.   
  
Dimitri tilts his head to the side, half propped up against the couch as he is. "Oh, we went to have ice cream after this," he says, as though he's skipped over a couple different exchanges that were never had. "Rodrigue is very busy most of the time, and has never been one to simply settle into retirement, so it was nice to go do. Felix isn't normally one for sweet things, granted... but the place we went to had a variety of flavors that satisfied him as well. I believe he might have gone with mint chocolate chip. Glenn might have gotten something to do with peanut butter candies, I think? The shop allows people to mix more solid treats into their ice cream, so he did that. Sylvain got coffee ice cream, with almonds in it, and of course Rodrigue has a preference towards dark chocolate." A smile crosses over Dimitri's lips. "I got cheesecake flavor. It was a nice night, after everything that had happened."   
  
That's... not exactly a direct answer, by any means. Still, Claude is pretty sure that if they cut things off here, the meaning is clear enough. This happens with Dimitri occasionally: an answer given that might seem as though it's connected by maybe a thread to the original question, if that much at all. It can even be downright mystifying. Still, that's disorganized thinking for you.   
  
At least Claude can work it out today, and he nods, leaning against his boyfriend with his hip to Dimitri's shoulder. "So I guess if they can all go out for ice cream after an argument on whether or not a brawl should happen in town hall, it's a pretty tight family," he chuckles. Dimitri's agreeable nod is a reassurance that he nailed it. "Still, poor guy! What a pair of smart ass kids."   
  
"I almost want to apologize to Fraldarius Senior about how we've dragged his youngest into all of this," Lorenz sighs. "If they have such a good relationship, I can only imagine how distressed he would be if something were to happen to his son if he were in the middle of-"   
  
"Kicking a fascist inbetween the legs?" Hilda offers, saccharine sweet as she bats her eyelashes and tucks her phone away into her bra. This is now technically _their_ home that they all live in together, so she could just put it down on the coffee table if she truly wanted to. On the other hand, the coffee table is currently being occupied by the biggest pizza that they could possibly order, plus another box beneath it, so the breast pocket is honestly pretty understandable. "I heard the guy really crumpled to the ground."   
  
"Now, now, Hilda," Claude tuts. "You know the _politically correct_ term isn't _fascist_." Both of them grin at each other, all teeth and spiteful hope, before Claude looks back to Lorenz. "Although, I'd be lying if I said I didn't understand the concern. But honestly, I think we should take it as a good sign that Dimitri and Felix have been coming to the events we've been involved in for ages now, and this is the first time Felix has felt the need to get involved like this." A faint huff of a laugh slips between his lips. "Honestly, it's kind of funny that it's taken this long, when that was the joke behind why he was invited in the first place. I guess we can take that as proof that our usual plans and methods go pretty well."   
  
Reaching up to lightly squeeze Claude's knee, Dimitri smiles up at him. "They work so well that they got you an interview on the news."   
  
Every time he's reminded of it, there's a flutter deep in the pit of Claude's stomach. He'd love it, honestly, if he could spin it as "adrenaline" or "excitement"... but he makes it a point to never lie to himself, not on purpose. There's no denying there are nerves in there, being set off at the prospect he's found himself with.   
  
Yet whenever Dimitri touches him like this, just a light little press of his fingertips, or when he smiles so warmly, with that encouraging brilliant blue eye... It helps keep him grounded just a little more, and all Claude can do is smile back down at him.   
  
Fortunately, whether they need it or not, Lorenz is right there to keep the conversation on track. Humming, he taps his knee a couple of times. "Well, regardless if things turned out alright, I'll still check in with him to see if there's anything he can tell me about the incident, and give the lawyer a notification as well just in case. It's better to be safe than sorry, when it comes to these events. Besides, it appears his brother Glenn has a similar temperament..."   
  
Dimitri nods. "They're very alike in many ways," he confirms. "Glen used to be a little more... law-abiding? Focused?"   
  
"He just told his little brother to hit and run someone with his fists, Dimitri," Hilda points out.   
  
"Well, I did use past tense... Still, he's also always been very passionate, especially when it comes to doing the right thing and helping whenever he can. That part of him has never really changed, just like his demeanor. Honestly, no matter that he's wheelchair bound, he's still as intense as ever. In fact, I feel he's grown to be even moreso."   
  
Another thoughtful hum filters out from Lorenz. "Honestly, seeing him has reminded me that protests tend to not be very accommodating for disabled people such as Glenn. It's one of its failings. There are so many individuals, all crowded together, and not often taking into consideration those that are right near them. It must be hard for him, in situations such as those, to have his own voice be heard... Perhaps he might even run into issues such as being knocked about by the inconsiderate. We truly aren't prepared for such things. Honestly, in all the research I've done for the band and our activities, I don't think this sort of thing has often come up. I really should reach out to-"   
  
Hauling a cushion out of place, Hilda rears her arms back as far as they can go so that there's nothing less than pure force as she flings it right towards Lorenz's face. "No!" she groans, flopping back against Marianne's chest so dramatically that she could win a film award as some ailing soldier in a war movie. It's always been one of Hilda's many talents. "We aren't doing this tonight, Lorenz! _Claude_!"   
  
"Hey, I didn't even do anything," he says, grinning as he sinks down off of the couch and down onto the floor where he can hide behind Dimitri's broad soldiers and sturdiness against such threats as pillows. "Don't blame me."   
  
Hilda continues as if he never even spoke in the first place. "We've been moving things _all day_. It's been nonstop from morning onwards. I didn't even think we had been able to cram _so much_ into such a tiny little apartment. All that work, for hours on end... and now you want to do more, Lorenz?" She puts on her most pitiful expression, eyebrows daintily scrunched together _just_ so. In some cities, it's a look that's probably banned after a court of law found it too dangerous. The lip tremble is especially deadly. "I don't think any of us can even think properly for such a serious question... Please, Lorenz?"   
  
Even with his hair now messed up after he's taken all day to carefully keep it in a ponytail, and with a large couch cushion he has to pry off of his face, somehow Lorenz still ends up looking the flustered one in this scenario. "I- no, you're quite right, Hilda. It was rather inconsiderate of me to try and push such a conversation when not a single one of us has had a chance to recuperate from such a busy day. I'll simply keep it in mind, for our next meeting. In the meanwhile, ah... Why don't we put on a movie instead? That sounds agreeable, doesn't it?"   
  
As a matter of fact, it sounds _very_ agreeable, so much so that not a single person finds reason to argue against it. The only thing really to talk about is what kind of movie to watch, and eventually they dig up one of the softer anime films that Marianne has collected over the years after she found that the animation was a bit more palatable compared to the stylistic choices for a lot of live action films that were popular for a while. She's managed quite a few of them by now, things that should be soothing enough for all of them. And, well, if that ever stops being enough, there's always Dimitri's impressive MST3K collection. They don't need brain power to laugh at jokes or bad movies.   
  
Which is good, honestly. Claude is pretty sure that not a single one of them has the energy to dig through the remaining boxes to figure out where _their_ movies are.   
  
While Dimitri dims the light and Marianne patiently pries Loog away from at long last investigating the pizza on the coffee table... Claude can't speak for everyone, but he has to admit to himself that he doesn't really pay attention to the movie once it starts up properly. He's too tired; Hilda was right. Even without having to unpack all of their things just yet, it's been a huge day. A huge change, one that they all knew was coming and yet still is kind of a surprise to see happen, to _make_ happen with their own two hands putting all the boxes into place.   
  
Also he thinks his muscles have turned to liquid, so that's definitely a factor in how he's feeling right now.   
  
Really, they need to send some Thank You cards to their lucky stars that Team DAAM lives down the hall, and helped Dimitri and Marianne out earlier by reorganizing things in the apartment so that it would be easier to place all the boxes down and avoid tripping or hitting things that were already in the apartment.   
  
That meant every room and bit of space had been cleared out best as could be asked for, whether for the boxes or the things that wait to fill them which are waiting _inside_ those boxes. There hadn't been a need, earlier in the day, to figure out how the hell they were going to move exercise equipment out into the dining space. It's already been moved, and has now been hidden behind a veritable wall of cardboard.   
  
So while the movie starts up on the screen, music filtering out through the speakers... Claude closes his eyes, not thinking too hard about the scene playing out before him. He doesn't think too hard about all the unpacking that still lays before them, which he'll only partially be able to help out with tomorrow. All he does is let his head rest against Dimitri's chest, and eventually drift off.   
  
  
  
  
  
"So, how are we feeling?" he asks Marianne and Dimitri. Nearby, Felix is handing out signs to various people who weren't able to make or bring their own for whatever reason.   
  
There's a lot of them, but when you compare the numbers of how many people came in the _first place_? Statistically, it adds up. Not only is their whole group here, but their band and the events in general have become even larger than they were in the first place. Obviously that means all their behind-the-scenes work, the organization that keeps any group afloat, has also increased... But that's why it's not only Hilda, Lorenz, and himself.   
  
Besides, Hilda would start a one-woman riot if she had to do even more work than she had already been doing before, and Claude wouldn't even blame her for it. While she's always played off her contributions as nothing more than what a 'regular girl' would ever do, not taking any more responsibility than a 'regular girl' would, she's been an invaluable part of the band ever since Claude first took charge of it.   
  
He can't imagine a group like this without Hilda behind it, and anywhere but at his side. Exhausting her would definitely contribute to changing that image, however, and in the worst ways possible.   
  
Claude is more than just passingly familiar with overworking; that sort of thing could destroy Hilda's health if they asked for anymore than the vast amount she's already given and continues to give. With how big everything is now, that's true if _any_ of them keep piling more work onto themselves simply because they're "leaders".   
  
Responsible leaders, good leaders, know when to delegate and expand, so Claude has done exactly that. A ridiculous amount of luck has always been with him when it's come to his friends and their talents, honestly. He's been able to get a lot of attention to the band with advertising at the bookshop Marianne works at, and aiming Lysithea's determined spirit right at her college for recruitment. Ignatz even designed them _band shirts_ , which worked out well for him just as much in that it diversified his art portfolio.   
  
All of them, and the rest of his friends, and the band as a whole, are a treasure chest of resources all on their own. However, his social circle doesn't end only there. Far from it. After all, _Dimitri_ is dating him now. Dimitri is even involved in the band, regularly attending practices, and going to events to play on a case-by-case basis. It's not even a thing he goes to for Claude, but something he seems to genuinely care about for _himself_.   
  
And if Dimitri is interested or involved in something, that means his whole troop of friends is interested, too. Seven other people doesn't seem like a lot, at first... Yet a pebble doesn't seem like a lot either before it sends out a ripple effect when tossed into water.   
  
He'd already knew about Felix's youtube channel since the start, of course. In fact, he'd kept track of it ever since he realized Felix kept the sign from his pro-choice protest, and had been delighted to learn that he kept it as a part of his backdrop when he did certain videos. Claude had been even _more_ delighted when he had learned that it had kicked off a firestorm from some of his fans, and that Felix's retort had been to practice his honest-to-god blacksmithing on small knives for "every pathetic child's complaint" he received.   
  
(He hadn't known there was a historical re-enactment area so close to the city. He does now. He also now knows, but is less surprised by, that Felix knows many people who genuinely know how to blacksmith and has apparently been taking lessons.)   
  
So, yeah, Felix was a known entity for all of this, but Annette? Cute, bubbly, optimistic Annette? Who apparently _sings_ and does _cover songs_ when she's not working at a radio station? Claude had stumbled onto _that_ discovery while poking around on Felix's channel, and been pleasantly surprised that they were both more than willing to use their platforms on social media for good causes.   
  
Yet they're the flashy ones. Unexpected, sure, but flashy nonetheless. Sometimes the groundwork is more mundane in its appearance, and no one exemplifies that better than Mercedes, the local church darling who is apparently involved in... just about every single event that goes on in every single church in the city, from what Claude understands.   
  
At least, that's certainly what it _seems_ like. He has no idea how she does it, or who she talks to, but soon enough they have people from churches showing up at protests, or even a couple at the band practices themselves. Claude suspects Mercedes might be using witchcraft.   
  
Dedue doesn't _look_ like he has as large a sphere of influence, which makes sense considering his character, so one can imagine Claude's surprised when he'd somehow connected the band to a few more activist groups in the city. Not only do people know Dedue, but apparently it's quite a lot of them.   
  
There's apparently a story behind it all, how Dedue really helped some folks out... but the details are ultimately inconsequential as much as Claude desperately wants to know them. That's another group adding numbers to their cause, which is incredibly important. For so many of the things Claude tries to bring awareness to, unity is more valuable than anything as their voices grow louder, and the hands that help pull other people up grow to be more and more.   
  
Sylvain, and Ashe, they're both inclined to help behind the scenes alongside Claude. That doesn't sound like much, at first. Certainly it doesn't sound like much when one is too focused on all the noise and shine of the band at actual work at protests as they blare out songs and calls.   
  
Yet it takes a lot of paperwork, a lot of organization and social media handling and research, to get all the glitter and noise out into the streets in the first place. But Ashe is more than happy to help with anything he can, and Sylvain's social media expertise isn't something to be underestimated. Hilda, at least, certainly seems glad for the help.   
  
Everything added together... It's created a bigger community, online and in real life, than Claude had dared to dream only something over five years ago. At the same time... Perhaps this is only to be expected that everything they stand for has reached out to so many voices. That those voices have risen up, and called for more. Sometimes, when Claude lets his thoughts drift off and he thinks about it too much, he feels his heart nearly ready to burst.   
  
In the now, this present where their march is about to happen and the subsequent attendance of a town hall meeting is in their immediate future, Claude doesn't let his thoughts drift. Instead, he focuses on some of the unexpected bonuses that are gifted to him when he properly delegates, especially to trustworthy friends. Currently, that's having some spare time right before the march itself, where he can do things beyond just preparation.   
  
Oh, sure, he's not going to go get _lunch_ or anything right before a big event. That'd be ridiculous. Also, Lorenz would have a heart attack if he went and wandered off at a time like this. No, all he wants to do is check in on the more anxious members of their group, and make sure they're doing all right.   
  
This isn't the _first_ time that Marianne has participated in one of their marches, and it's not even the first time that she's performed in one. However, out of most of their friends, she's definitely taken part a lot less. Part of it is just simple bad luck, with her work demanding attention. The other part of it is of course her own personality, anxiety and self doubt holding her back. Even when she's performed, there's always been that thin veil of anxiety draped over her...   
  
Yet today, she seems to be at her best, and she smiles over to him at his question. "There... are certainly a lot of people," Marianne concedes, glancing over the crowd. "I will do my best not to let any of them down." That's a good sentence to hear, coming from Marianne. Claude smiles at her, encouragingly, before his eyes go next to Dimitri.   
  
He doesn't even get a chance to say anything before Dimitri is smiling down at him. "I believe today is going to be a good day on my end," he says. "Dedue managed to make it here as well, and we'll be playing together."   
  
Granted, Dedue's presence isn't exactly a _guarantee_ that Dimitri won't have a mild episode. That's not how it works. But Dedue is definitely one of Dimitri's most grounded friends, alongside Felix and Ashe. They're the people amongst his friends who will be able to look out for him if anything happens, and fill him in on any details he might not have noticed or remembered as he experienced them.   
  
That's the important thing, after all. Low empathy isn't exactly a _bad_ thing. Claude knows this now thanks to a lot of indepth conversations he's had with Dimitri over the years, both on a wider scale in regards to societal change, and also the smaller and more personal things like his schizophrenia.   
  
One of the things that's come up the most in both conversations is the conflation of "empathy" and "morality" as similar or even the same thing. Dimitri is still himself even when he's experiencing bouts of low empathy. He can still be a good person, and mostly is, for as long as Claude has known him.   
  
However, there's no denying that he sometimes forgets things right when he's experiencing certain symptoms, and he might not notice how differently he's acting even when he does remember... or at least how it comes off to other people. Even if he's fine with is diagnosis now - or at least mostly fine with a lot of things to do with it, handling it as best as a man possibly can - Claude knows Dimitri still wants to understand it. He still wants to have a better idea of what sets off certain symptoms, if anything "sets them off" at all, and he still wants to know things he's forgotten, or how he comes off as to other people.   
  
That's all understandable, really. Claude isn't in the same position, but he can understand that desire regardless. Knowing about ones self is reassuring.   
  
They can check up on how Dimitri is feeling after the town hall meeting. In the meantime, Claude lightly pats Marianne's arm while Dimitri gets a much more robust smack to his shoulder. "Excellent. We're starting up in ten, so let me know if you two need anything, or if you spot anyone who does."   
  
Everyone knows at least part of the point when it comes to their band is morale purposes, but there's a lot of stuff to keep an eye on when it comes to a protest or a march. While the main purpose of any event like this is to draw attention to a cause, or an incident, that's all for the ultimate greater good of _helping_ people. That means Claude has always tried to make it a priority to watch after individual people during things like this. A lot can go wrong, whether someone's medical condition starts to act up, or they get dehydrated, someone trips and hurts themselves....   
  
Fortunately, they have four very talented people in their ranks who are excellent at spotting those kind of little accidents, and that's a fact that Claude will always be glad about.   
  
Raphael and Mercedes are obvious choices, the latter more than the former for those who don't know him very well. Mercedes seems to somehow just have some sort of Mom Radar installed directly to her very soul. Even if a person isn't obviously in distress, she always and mysteriously knows where to find them. In comparison, while Raphael doesn't quite have that same kind of intuition, he has so much height that it makes up for it in a lot of ways, and he's better prepared on the physical end of things like having water or painkillers on hand.   
  
Marianne and Dimitri, however... All their knowledge in this sort of thing comes from personal experience. They know what to look for because, in a lot of cases, they've experienced it firsthand. Both of them have even talked about it with their therapists. Something about situations like this seems to really help push Marianne into gear, some adrenaline, some desire to help, all of it shoving her anxiety into the backseat.   
  
Dimitri, in the meanwhile, is just determined to help where he can. If he's having a bout or not doesn't really affect him too much when it comes to the really important things, or so he's told Claude. Maybe someone will think him a little bit odd for a half second, but is anyone going to care about a guy with a slightly odd turn of phrase if they need a bottle of water or to get out of the crowd?   
  
What's more important to him is doing the right thing if he can. When Claude thinks about that, about how hard Dimitri works to recognize the signs of a person in distress and how to help them... He can't help but love him even more.   
  
"We'll keep an eye out for anyone," Marianne promises, soft and hard in equal measures, for all the right reasons. She, too, wants to help ease away the hurt in the world in whatever way she can. For Marianne, no one should feel like she ever has. It's little wonder, honestly, that she's had people like Hilda and Ingrid fall for her.   
  
A smile spreads across Dimitri's face. "So you can go back to being the conductor for all of this," he tells Claude. Ha. As if he's anything but a very loud figurehead, a representation of what everyone would do on their own, can do on their own, just focused, now. It's like being a statue, in that way. Just, he moves, and yells at people, and blasts a very loud and annoying instrument in the face of fascists. So he has more fun than a statue.   
  
It's the thought that counts, however, and Claude _does_ have to admit that leaders are important for every cause and organization. So he winks at the pair. "Message heard loud and clear. Let's get even louder soon, shall we?" He turns away from them with that, waving to nearby and newly made flutist Dedue at the same time.   
  
And they _do_ get louder, with gusto. A lot of protest regulars - not that Claude could give a number for who regularly comes to these things in the first place - have now come to look forward to the performances of his band. Even a lot of people who are participating for the very first time seem to have heard of them, which is always a pleasant surprise as much as it is confirmation that Hilda and Sylvain are doing great work. Regardless, it seems like everyone is excited... and in that regard, the band is doing exactly what it was always meant to.   
  
This isn't a silly little thing, anymore. Maybe it never was going to stay that way, and _never was_ , period. From where he's encouraging the many protesters and marchers around them, Claude swears he can almost literally see any exhaustion and wariness lift up from the crowd. Instead, they all throw their energy into one solid _thing_ , an ideal given physical form that helps push them all to a brighter and more united future.   
  
Also, every time the counter protesters try to talk over them, their brass section gets to delightedly scream-honk in retaliation, and honestly that's never going to stop being one of the top ten most beautiful things in the world.   
  
Claude can't hate those counter protesters, honestly. He knows that some of them believe that _they're_ the ones really helping the rest of the world out, and, if a noisy guy like him could just follow their orders, the world would be good. Unfortunately, they're wrong, and they've aligned themselves with people who think far worse things... so he can't feel _too_ bad, either.   
  
He takes a certain pleasure in knowing that they won't be able to think much with a pair of twin sousaphones blaring through their ears and rattling their brains in their skulls. Sometimes it's the little things that get him through the day.   
  
Eventually, their march takes them to their destination. Getting into the town hall is a bit of a clusterfuck, admittedly, with how many people there are, but the band planned for that as well. Ignatz is already there with Raphael's van by the time they arrive, and they all hastily leave their instruments behind with him and a couple of others to be properly placed away.   
  
Things become a bit of a blur, after that, as the room is packed and some of the band members are scattered across the room. All of them plan to speak up at some point... but so do no doubt more than a few people in the room.   
  
And a few people in a packed room means that's a _lot_ of people.   
  
Oh, their poor locally elected city council. He doubts a single one of them, including their mayor, was ever prepared for this many people, or this many cameras on them - tiny phone ones and much larger news crews alike. Even at a distance, Claude can sense a bit of unease and wariness. Well, if he were in their shoes, he'd feel very much the same way... but thanks to what he feels like are much better choices, he doesn't have to worry about _that_.   
  
Instead, he worries about his side of things, texting to his friends scattered about to try and make sure that no one is too... 'aggressive' isn't the right word, but it's the one he knows onlookers would probably use. Passion is more than fine, however, and fortunately it looks like the vast majority of people gathered at this meeting understand that. Likely, there are people who will still say that they weren't "polite" enough, because there always are. For now, however, keeping things from escalating is the best he can ask for. At least, for right now. He doesn't think they need to go farther than this, not yet.   
  
He _hopes_ they don't have to go any farther than this. They will likely just have to go longer. Politicians sometimes have the object permanence that even babies look down on. It's that, or they assume their constituents do. The trick is to remind them of how things are _supposed_ to work if they don't want a city burned down to the ground, and to make sure that enough people stay out to continue the yelling. It sounds easy. It isn't.   
  
Yet in the thick of things, it all pours out like a river: smooth not because the journey is smooth, but because there is too much force to stop it. Claude is glad that so much of it is being recorded: by the cameras in the room, by some of their friends that have phones or their own cameras out, by a news crew that has stopped by for all the fuss. There might be a couple, actually, but he's not paying attention, and his not paying attention is what makes him so relieved that things are being recorded. Especially by those he knows, who he can trust a bit more than government or media sometimes, honestly.   
  
Everything goes by in a rush, and a lot of it is good, he knows that much. He can remember cheers and calling and lots of requests for order by the city council. The meeting takes forever for every voice to be heard, for every decision or decision to make a decision _late_ to be made. By the time everything comes to an end, Claude feels lit up as a star. Maybe in another life, he could have been a musician, a celebrity - sometimes his reactions towards public events like this, the way he pulls people together, makes him think that could have been an option once upon a time.   
  
Yet when he really thinks on it, he knows that he wouldn't care for that kind of life. Not on a true and deep level. Getting attention, thriving off of it, knowing people are following his voice - great, sure, yeah, but it's all just a means to an end. The more people who become aware of them become aware of the causes they're championing. The more there's a chance for things to change for the better. That's the important thing.   
  
...Additionally, he reflects as he takes a second to just recline back in the seat he managed to snag, he might still be on a performance high. Once that wears off... Oh boy.   
  
As the head of his band, he figures it's still in his duty to make sure everyone is doing all right, and he tries to look over the crowd to do just that as he begins to make his way out of the room. There will be a lot for them to do in the aftermath, as they make sure the finale to this day ends well.   
  
He wouldn't _dare_ name names, of course, but there are some people who think they can take advantage of that period of relaxation when people finish a protest or march like this and cause trouble... That such a thing could make them look worse never seems to factor. They always think they can get away with it. It's frustrating to Claude that this isn't entirely untrue.   
  
However, that's a duty he'll have to entrust to his friends and some of his fellow activists, it appears. The moment he steps out of the room, something catches his eye. It's the way the flow of the crowd has changed just a little in the distance, and he refocuses his attention.   
  
A small group of women are making their way through the crowd towards him, which isn't unusual at events such as this one. What makes them stand out is how one of them, a young woman whose light brown hair has been pulled back into twin braids, is carting around a camera. A _good_ camera. A very heavy, very professional looking video camera that looks like it's survived all sorts of things.   
  
Claude recognizes what this means almost immediately, even as Hilda slips out of the crowd like magic to settle in at his side. First thing she does is lean in against him, whispering into his ear. "Isn't that a news crew?"   
  
It absolutely is. Claude glances over the women with renewed interest, flicking through his mental library. A guy like him, he vicariously devours every little bit of news from any source he can get his hands on. He needs to know what's going on in the world, whether that's a little feelgood story tucked away in a newspaper or something happening in a country in a timezone with a five hour difference from his own.   
  
Because of this, well, Claude would never say he knows every single person who works in journalism, especially when it comes to what's on television. He's still an outsider to the business himself. However, he still has a pretty thorough mental library despite this fact.   
  
Thanks to that, he can recognize the woman leading the group - bespectacled, blond, dressed like the kind of reporter he'd read about in a story. Claude taps Hilda's spine. "Make sure that no one makes an ass of themselves while we're on live television, alright?" he asks.   
  
"Ugh." Hilda exaggerates her puffed out cheeks. "You know this group, Claude. They're gonna ass if they're gonna ass." But then her expression loosens up, and Hilda winks at him. "Still, I'll see what I can do."   
  
With that, she slips away, and Claude's attention is taken up by people who come up to him. This often happens during protests, or marches, that his band leads. So many people want to know about what his group does, who's invited, if he knows anything about any other protests that will happen soon, things like that. Every time, Claude is more than happy to answer their questions, even when his brain feels like mush.   
  
Fortunately, his brain is still riding that adrenaline high, and that means he can keep an eye on their little news crew, although he makes sure to hide his action well with the way he talks to other people. Soon enough, they finally make it to him, and the woman in glasses waves her hand towards him energetically. "Hello! Excuse me! Cali, with Ampithea News! You would be Claude Riegan, wouldn't you? Folks here have mentioned your name. I'm hoping you would be up for a quick street interview!"  
  
This is _perfect_ \- right on the day when he was thinking about the need and benefits of reaching a wide audience. Putting on his friendliest smile, he turns away from the person he was just talking with in order to wink at the news crew. "I wouldn't mind at all, as a matter of fact, although we might want to make it a little quick here. I'll feel a little guilty if I stayed too long while they're trying to move people out of the building. But I think we can slide under the wire."   
  
He wouldn't feel guilty at all, actually. There's no real law against lingering for a while in the town hall to discuss the events of the meeting that just took place... but that doesn't mean there wouldn't be people trying to convince those who don't know better.   
  
"Excellent!" Whirling around, Cali immediately begins to direct her small crew around. As she does so, Claude starts to get a handle on just who is named and does what. Bobo - poor girl, she must get so much shit for that name alone - is their camerawoman, excited to be here and right there on the scene. As her and Cali start talking about how they're going to set up the scene, a woman with dark purple hair pulled back in a ponytail gets called Ace as she makes sure to start redirecting foot traffic around them for a clear shot. Nikki, pink haired and with a gentle smile, starts pushing back some of Cali's hair, and makes sure she's all ready for the camera.   
  
All of that is fine, by Claude's book. He's more than content enough to wait by the side, after Ace makes sure to get him properly in place so that the camera catches onto the size and attendance of this particular meeting.   
  
So it's kind of a pleasant surprise when Nikki turns away from the rest of her crew and approaches him with a small towel and a smile for him, too. "We saw that you were a part of the march that lead the way here," she tells him. "I thought you might be exhausted from all of that, along with the speech you gave to the city council. Do you want this, or a bottle of water? I made sure to pack extras."   
  
What do you know, the local news station seems to be employing some halfway decent people. That's always good to see. Claude makes a note of this particular crew, just in case. You know. For the future.   
  
"I'll take the water, if you've really got it," he says appreciatively, wishing he had his vuvuzela with him as a prop. It would help him stand out more in this interview. "Thanks for the consideration."   
  
All she does is smile as she passes him a water bottle, one with the cap not messed with at all. Getting a quick swig so that his throat isn't a complete disaster, Claude waits until Cali is ready, and there's a countdown for the camera to go live.   
  
It wasn't _exactly_ a lie for him to mention that they might not have a lot of time in town hall, or at least not a lot of time for any indepth interview. That means only so much can be said in so little time. The good news is that Claude is a master of making a lot out of a little. By the time that the camera goes off and Bobo signals them with a thumbs up that they're all good to go, he's pretty sure he's charmed and pleased their intrepid reporter more than enough.   
  
Hopefully the same can be said of anyone who watches this news segment... He's going to have to ask around, see if anyone can record that for later. Hilda and Sylvain could probably go wild with this on social media, so he'll definitely have to make sure he can get the clip somehow...   
  
Before Cali and her crew can duck away through the crowd, she comes up to Claude with a glint in her eye and a card between her fingers. "You seem to have a really good idea of local politics and issues that are going on," she informs him. "Honestly, I'd _love_ to pick at your brain a little more at a later date. We have to get going, and I have to talk to some people at the station about it, but, hopefully in a couple of days, could you make some time for an interview? On television, if you don't mind. I really want to strike at this issue while it's still fresh in people's minds!" Spoken like a true reporter.   
  
In the back of Claude's head, he can't help but think of how inopportune this is in some ways. Tomorrow, he has to muster up the energy to wake up early and start moving dozens of heavy cardboard boxes to his and Lorenz and Hilda's new apartment, which is Dimitri and Marianne's current apartment. The day after that, he planned to go back to work at the Golden Deer, start his usual weekly shift.   
  
Well. He supposes he's going to have to do a bit of begging to Leonie to take that last one.   
  
"Sure," he says, smiling, presenting a calm face, all while his heart is going wild in his chest. It's a business card he accepts, and maybe some of that smiling isn't such a facade after all. "When should I call you to check up on this?"   
  
His acceptance makes Cali grin all the wider, and she wildly shakes his free hand. "Give me a few hours, but after five should be fine! The news is always rushing and changing, so I don't think I should need any longer than that! Besides, your group is so interesting, I bet my studio will be ecstatic to have you there! I'll look forward to your call, Mr. Riegan!" Just like that, she's bounding away to join the rest of her crew.   
  
On the outside, Claude manages to keep his cool as he waves them off with well wishes for their trip back to Ampithea News. On the inside... On the inside, his heart won't stop pounding.   
  
This is their big chance. This could really and truly be their big chance. Sure, the band has always been known by city locals, and has what he likes to think is a decently sized social media following. There's a reason why they've been able to get the word out for events even for people who aren't technically in the band, why they can say that their fundraising efforts have at least been _some_ degree of successful. But to be on the news? That's something bigger. Something _official_.   
  
Shit. Following the flow of the crowd, Claude lets loose a shaky breath and does a few clenches and unclenches of one hand. He's never done this kind of thing before. The second he gets back to the apartment, he's going to have to dig out their laptop and do all the research he possibly can on... all of this. He's going to have to read on what to expect in a live interview, what kind of place Ampithea News is, what the workers have to say on the behind the scenes stuff-   
  
A warm hand folds over his. It's like a gentle shock, the wake up that comes with a warm shower, and Claude blinks up at Dimitri who has somehow just appeared at his side like a ghost. Well, the more likely answer is that he was so caught up in his head that he completely missed Dimitri's very obvious and not subtle presence.   
  
Claude starts to smile at him, even as Dimitri leans down to press a kiss to his temple. "It looks like it all went well," Dimitri says, nodding down to the card in Claude's hand.   
  
Well, he nods to the card, but Claude knows he means this whole event as it is. For someone like Dimitri, it's almost vital that these sort of protests, these marches, go well if he's going to be participating in them. Claude knows a similar feeling. So he squeezes back, and is surprised to realize that his own hand is trembling a little bit from emotion and adrenaline.   
  
Letting out a breath, Claude allows himself to lean against Dimitri. There are few things more solid in the world, he thinks - mainly actual mountains, Dedue, and Raphael. "Hey, are you losing faith in my charms now?" he jokes. "Still, I can't lie and say it isn't exciting... Where are Teach 1 and Teach 2? What do they think?"   
  
Both Byleth Eisner and Byleth Eisner don't really care for fame and spotlight, Claude has come to find in the years he's known the two of them. At events like these, they end up more support than anything else, a supporting cast for the main character that is their band. When they feel their job is done with, well, then they're off in a heartbeat, satisfied with the work that's been done.   
  
Honestly, if they weren't genuinely good people at their cores, Claude suspects the Eisners would have long run away to be secluded hermits. They've both talked, on occasion, about gardening, and fishing. Seeing those two at work for either of those things is an easy mental image to conjure up.   
  
Dimitri gives a nod, confirming what Claude figured in that the Eisners would have found him after the whole thing as well. The twist comes when he opens his mouth in order to give a more detailed answer. "They were there to check on Felix when security was called."   
  
...Okay. That's a thing that was said. Claude blinks, quickly rewinding his memories of the last few hours. He knows he was caught up in everything, listening to other people talk and then talking himself, but he would have noticed if anything huge had happened there in the town hall, right? Yeah, he would have. Everyone would have, Felix Fraldarius is not a subtle person.   
  
His gaze flicks over Dimitri quickly, and he allows himself to relax. "So someone is having a fun day," he quips. If something serious had really happened, then he knows that Dimitri wouldn't be here with him right now. Dimitri wouldn't be so _calm_ right now. Still, he won't automatically assume that things are fine only because of that when he has no other information to go on, so he asks, "I take it he's alright, but what happened?" It's good that Felix only has to deal with simple town hall security and nothing bigger than that...   
  
Dimitri tells him the story, and it's relatively simple, honestly. So, during the whole passionate and _very_ crowded meeting, someone had started to get a panic attack. Raphael had spotted it pretty easily, because there hadn't been any seats that could fit a guy built to withstand siege weapons and so he'd been standing. So he'd gone to go help. Felix, somehow now one of Raphael's bosom buddies in a way that honestly has caught all of them off guard, had seen him making his way over, and involved himself. Together, they'd helped the guy get out of the space, accompanied by some of his lady friends.   
  
Once they'd all gotten out of the room and a good distance away to boot, Raphael had figured it'd be good if he could double back to his van where Ignatz was waiting. Get some stuff he thought might help. He'd left a lot behind, after all, since room in the town hall had been kind of limited. So Felix had been left behind with a guy in the throes of an anxiety attack and a few girls, trying to just keep the guy calm.  
  
And then, of course, some assholes had thought to get involved.   
  
Much like Raphael's caring, and Felix's tagging along, this part of the tale isn't particularly surprising either. It had been a small group of guys - possibly part of the counter protesters, possibly just some unaffiliated jerks who had wanted to yell over some girls or a guy like Claude.   
  
Yet they'd found that impossible, both before with a vuvuzela making their eardrums bleed during the march, and then during the meeting itself, where Claude's cause clearly had more people behind it that made ruining things a little more difficult. Sometimes a lone voice can certainly pierce through the chorus of a hundred... but these guys, just a bunch of dickheads and troublemakers, clearly didn't meet the criteria needed for that kind of effect.   
  
So they'd taken the cowardly option when they spotted a gaggle of girls trying to help a guy clearly not in a great way. Felix's presence had probably been an afterthought - shorter than them, wearing a ponytail, dismissable. So they'd made the questionable and dickish decision to throw some slurs at the group, followed by actual garbage when one of the girls had snapped at them. Maybe they would have left it at that, their bigoted and childish venting done with.   
  
Unfortunately for them, one Felix Hugo Fraldarius was there, and had retaliated quicker than a rabid raccoon tripped over on a dark night. The group of wasted potential had been made up of four guys, from what Dimitri understands. Felix had downed every single one of them, which Claude is sure will be a bruise to their ego later on, in addition to all the actual bruises.   
  
Double unfortunately was that a couple of town hall security guys had turned the corner just in time to see the group of jackasses throw plastic bottles at some girls and a teenager in the middle of a panic attack.   
  
There'd been no doubt as to who had started things, and, well... It's kind of hard to spin the appearance of picking on a kid and some girls into a good look. Sure, it's not an ideal world where age or perceived gender is enough to discount someone as anything serious... but one works with what they have, sometimes, in the world they do have instead of the one they wish for. Besides, luck isn't something to be tossed aside so easily.   
  
That was the scene Dimitri had walked in on when he'd stepped out to get some air himself: his friend with a bloody nose, cheap rentacops yelling for them to break it up, and four guys on the floor including one clutching inbetween his legs as he'd been firmly introduced to the Felix Fraldarius fighting school of "Fuck Fairness".   
  
A couple of their other friends had jumped in - fortunate considering this had been a decent distance away from the meeting so that the noise wouldn't aggravate the kid's attack worse, so the people who'd been helping had been those going to the bathroom or getting better cell reception. Dimitri had called the Eisners and a few others they knew. Others had gotten involved as well, whether to help get the kid to somewhere else so he could calm down, or watch the scenario with phones.... The usual.   
  
By the time Dimitri finishes up the tale by mentioning how he'd made himself stay back just in case, Lorenz and Hilda have joined the pair of them out in the sunlight of the streets. Lorenz already has his face in his hands, trying to hold back his exasperation, and Hilda lets loose an impressed whistle. "For someone with a personality that's such a mix of terrible and decent, he really is one of the luckiest people around, huh?" she says.   
  
"I thought I heard some sort of faint shouting outside," Lorenz mutters as they continue down the block, having met up with Claude and Dimitri around the explanation of how some people had started taking out their phones. "It really is always Felix. Well, I want the full story when we have a moment to catch our breaths, Dimitri. I need to know exactly what kind of trouble he got up to."   
  
"Felix often tends to be fine," Dimitri says reassuringly. "Of course, he does have a temper, with a tendency to hold grudges, and hardly ever sees reason why he should hold his tongue when he sees negative traits in another person..."  
  
"Weren't you supposed to be reassuring us?" Hilda groans, even as a slight grin tugs at Dimitri's mouth.   
  
"But he knows how to be patient and get through difficult situations as well," he finishes. "Sylvain and Rodrigue were there as well, along with the Eisners, so I'm certain it will all turn out fine."   
  
Faintly, Claude thinks he's heard that latter name before when Dimitri has talked about his hometown, but he doesn't really have a chance to think too deeply on it. Dimitri, despite his words, is looking over the three of them with barely hidden anxiety, like he's looking for permission. It's obvious why.  
  
"Hey, he's your best friend," Claude tells him with a reassuring smile. "Just remember we _are_ moving into your place tomorrow, so don't do something like stage a prison break, alright? Save that for next month." He winks to the sound of Dimitri chuckling.   
  
"And do let us know if anything more serious occurs," Lorenz tells him, with that faint scolding tone to his voice where he gets fussy. "The band exists with the resources that it does for a reason."  
  
"It's only building security, so I'm hopeful that we won't have to resort to those measures just yet," Dimitri reassures Lorenz before looking to Claude again. "At any rate, Felix would beat us to the punch..." As their group pauses at a crosswalk, Dimitri leans down to press a kiss along Claude's cheek. "Then, if you all will be fine, I'm going to go meet up with Ingrid. She was worried about Felix as well when I texted her. Since we're not legally family, just friends, we might run into a little bit of trouble there if anyone really asks about why we should be allowed to shove our noses into it all... But Sylvain is there, so he should be able to sweet talk us through any obstacles."   
  
"What a team," Hilda says, laughing.   
  
Dimitri grins at her, and then allows Claude to draw him down into a proper kiss. "Get home safely, won't you?" he tells him softly. "I promise I'll return as soon as I can." And with that, Dimitri turns away from them, heading right back the way they all came from instead of towards the parking garage where his car is parked. Well, it's not as if Claude doesn't have the keys to it anyway. He even already has a spare key to what will, in only a few hours time, be _their_ apartment.   
  
He'll be fine, Claude reminds himself as the two of them duck into the shadows and concrete of the garage. That's something he has to remind himself of, even as he can see Lorenz worrying at his chin as he no doubt wonders the same things that are running through Claude's own brain.   
  
Well, not the exact same things, granted. Claude is thinking about how he has to look up interview experiences, Ampithea News, if he even has good enough clothes for appearing on television... But in some areas, such as worrying about Dimitri and if Felix will be alright, they're probably united. Should he call in a while to check on them, or should he put his trust into Ingrid and Sylvain to keep their two favorite idiots safe...?  
  
Like dandelion fluff, Hilda blows it all away when she leans in close to Claude with a wide grin. "My favorite part about that is that he said they weren't his _legal_ family," she says. "Which means they aren't _legally_ Dimitri's family either. You know what that means, right?" She winks. "Felix Fraldarius might walk Dimitri down the aisle when you eventually get married."   
  
Claude can't help it. He bursts out laughing, cheeks red, and the sound bounces off concrete walls from all its eager hopes.   
  
  
  
  
  
When he stirs into wakefulness once more, it's to the sight of a ceiling above him that is definitely much closer than the one in the living and dining area. Claude blearily takes in the situation, and how Dimitri is gently tucking blankets around him. Ah, he's in their bed - upgraded from the small thing that used to be for Dimitri alone. "Mitya?" he mumbles, nickname slurred on his sleepy tongue.   
  
"I'm here, Claude," Dimitri murmurs softly, stroking his face gently with his fingertips. "You fell asleep, during the movie. So did Lorenz and Hilda."   
  
That makes Claude smile, no matter how overcome with sleep fog his brain is. "Mm.... Musta been a sight. Marianne doting on Hilda... Lorenz-" He yawns. "Lorenz trying to stay elegant and fight it even while drooping off his chair... I really missed out."   
  
Dimitri's soft laugh rolls through his ears and down into his heart. "We all live together, so I think you'll have another chance in the very near future. In fact, considering how familiarly you describe the situation, and how you were living with Lorenz and Hilda _before_ all of this... I think you've seen it plenty of times prior. Now, you should go to sleep, Claude."   
  
"Mmm, nope, too late. I'm awake," Claude says as he pushes himself up with his blanket crumpling down around his waist. It's a statement that would have a lot more weight to it, if he didn't yawn again right afterwards. Not inclined to let that stop him, he rubs at his eyes. "Besides, don't think I missed how you said _I_ should go to sleep instead of _we_ , just because I nodded off for a little while there. Staying up a bit longer?"  
  
Caught red handed, Dimitri smiles sheepishly. "There was some work that I wanted to get done on the computer before I turned in. It's nothing huge, of course. I took my nightly medications during dinner, so I'm going to fall asleep sooner than later... but it's just some work that should make it easier to send off in the morning."   
  
Claude stretches his arms out, first for the ache, eventually to curl his fingers into Dimitri's shirt. "Then I'll come with," he says, grinning to his boyfriend. "I want a glass of water, anyway. I think it might help me go back to sleep."   
  
If he's honest, Claude sort of doubts that a simple glass of water will truly help. Now that he's woken up again, there's a restless hum of energy thrumming through his veins. Good ol' hydration probably won't fix _that_. But a short walk into the kitchen, plus an equally short talk with Dimitri? Maybe that will have better luck.   
  
If it doesn't, well, it's him. He'll figure out a Plan B.   
  
Dimitri looks over his face carefully, that single beautiful eye seeing who knows what, before he nods. "Alright. We should be quiet, however. Everyone else just went to sleep for the night, and the current state of the apartment might not be giving them the best sleep as it is."   
  
Letting himself be pulled up by Dimitri's offered hand, Claude uses his other hand to pat Dimitri's chest. "You act as if you've forced them all to sleep on the floor," he chuckles. "They have bed frames and mattresses to go on those bed frames. Everyone is going to be fine, even if they're surrounded by cardboard."   
  
But Dimitri _is_ the kind of guy to get worried about things like this. Every one of them had made the decision to give away their old bed frames, after all. It had been sensible in a lot of their cases, honestly. In a variety of different ways, their previous bed frames had been old, and seen the wear and tear of many years with their bullshit.   
  
Hilda's, for example, had been a hand me down from her brother, and had finally started to go towards the light after two whole lifetimes of wear. Getting smacked into walls and door frames when they had first moved in probably didn't help.   
  
For Lorenz, well, the reason why he had moved out of his old place to start with had been because of a spat with his father when Lorenz had finally started to realize his life was supposed to be his own, along with his morals, his feelings, his romances... So during _that_ whole mess, he'd had to be forced into thriftiness, and had bought one of the cheaper bed frames that he could find. It's held up remarkably well since then, thanks to careful care, but there's been no need for it anymore. Especially since it might not last for much longer, after years of dealing with constant weight on it from either Lorenz or the things he's put on it.   
  
And Claude? Well, his bed frame was already something he'd had for years before he ever moved. Even if he hadn't been set on sharing a bed with Dimitri, that thing had lived its time well enough already. As Dimitri wraps his arm around him, the two of them heading out of what is _their_ bedroom, he can't help but be glad for that.   
  
Regardless, that _has_ meant putting together all sorts of furniture today. The shelves and such are all one thing, but bed frames are a special kind of pain in the ass, even for Ikea Whisperer Dimitri Blaiddyd. It's taken some work, and effort, to get all their furniture set up, which has meant less time for the unpacking, which has meant the Cardboard End of Times...   
  
Claude rests his head along Dimitri's shoulder as they come out into the living room, where there are still plenty of boxes out waiting for them. Even with the basic necessities put together in everyone's own rooms, a lot of change is going to come about in the apartment. When it was only Dimitri and Marianne, that was one thing. It's a big apartment. They're two people. It hadn't taken much.   
  
Yet now the total number of people living in the apartment is five, and that makes an equally big difference to how things are going to work. They still have a lot of shelves that they need to put up for their books - okay. They have bookshelves they need to put together for _Claude's_ books, far too many to all fit inside of Dimitri's room. Kind of why he paid for them.   
  
In turn, it was Hilda's money that went into a couple of other shelving units, all marked with cute glitter stickers, that will host the additional movies and CDs that they've brought with them. Plus, there's the question of where Lorenz's small battalion of plants is going to go, and if they'll even fair well with Loog in the house...   
  
That's not even talking about how Dimitri is going to have to reorganize some of his things, like if his exercise equipment can stay out in the dining room, or if he'll have to merge his office and his exercise into the same space.   
  
So yeah. There's a lot of things to address, and a lot of decisions they still have to make now that they're going to get a better and more immediate idea of how _exactly_ their stuff will fit together instead of just guessing.   
  
It's something Claude considers as he drifts off into the kitchen to start ferreting through the cupboards for a spare glass. Not that far away in the living space, Dimitri patiently clears some space off of the coffee table so that he can set up his laptop.   
  
"Hopefully everything will look far less cluttered when we've finished unpacking," Claude murmurs quietly when he finally joins Dimitri on the couch, glass of water in hand. "We're going to be in trouble otherwise. Although I guess Lewie is quite happy about all of this. He was pretty excited to climb all over the boxes earlier."   
  
While his laptop warms up, Dimitri smiles a little. "He definitely was... But this _is_ his first experience with anyone moving into the apartment. Marianne had already unpacked her things and gotten her room all set up before we decided to adopt him."  
  
"Heh." Claude grins, thinking back to those days when Dimitri and Marianne had first made that decision. It'd been fun, and cute. Him and Ingrid had even had a chance to get along a little better, all because of the journey to Get A Cat. "Well, hopefully he enjoys the experience, and doesn't get too worked up over it. Cats can be sensitive to change." Taking a sip of water, Claude allows his gaze to roam the apartment while Dimitri gets his program set up. "That reminds me... Where _is_ our little troublemaker?"   
  
"Oh, I thought he was sitting right besides me on the couch."   
  
_Shit_ \- water goes right up Claude's nose, forcing him to bend over hastily as his hand rushes up to his face. There's no completely stopping the spray, but it at least _kind of_ lessens what could be a humongous mess. Now it's just a bit of one.   
  
Once he's stopped sputtering and wheezing - equal parts water and equal parts laughter - Claude punches Dimitri's side. "Oh, _I_ see how it is," he says, only lowering his voice when Dimitri raises a single finger to his stupid, charming, beautiful wide grin. "You really know how to be clever, don't you? I've been dating a real crouching tiger this whole time."   
  
"I wouldn't call myself that," Dimitri says, ducking his head like that will hide his grin at all. Unfortunately for him, it's not that easy to get away from Claude, especially when he can just reach over to mop up his soaking wet chin and cheeks with Dimitri's shirt. There's an immediate despairing sort of noise. "Oh- _Claude_! That's so distasteful."   
  
Shoulders shaking with laughter now as well, Claude just raises a finger up to his own grin, and has to do his absolute best to not cackle when Dimitri screws up his mouth in a pout. "Oh, I don't want to hear that from you," Claude says, leaning in close to pinch at Dimitri's sides and grin up at him. "Maybe don't try to choke me with my own drink before you complain, huh?"  
  
In return, he gets a fond but exasperated sigh, along with Dimitri's shirt as he begins to tug it up over his head in order to help clean up the water splattered against the coffee table and the floor. Yes, they do technically have kitchen towels that would take, like, a minute to get. No, neither of them do so, with Claude just raising his feet off of the ground and onto the couch as he watches Dimitri clean.   
  
This really is how Dimitri has just... lived his adult life. Claude would love to judge a little, except he's fallen asleep on the floor with a book in his hand while drooling all over a rug, so he's pretty sure he's in a glass house sort of situation. Lorenz is going to hate them, but hey! They're cleaning up after themselves!   
  
When Dimitri finally sits back onto the couch, dumping his mildly damp shirt besides him, Claude immediately leans against his side. "I suppose it _was_ an instance of my planting my own crop and sowing it," Dimitri admits, wrapping one arm around Claude while he uses his free hand to mess around on his laptop. "Anyway. Loog is with Marianne and Hilda tonight. They _did_ turn in first before the rest of us... And I think he likes the smell of Marianne's blankets more."   
  
That's the conversation the two of them end up drifting into, as Dimitri clicks around on his laptop. They talk about Loog, the preferences he has now when it comes to different things between Marianne and Dimitri, how those preferences might change with the addition of three new people constantly living in his house, the ways he might adapt and the worries in how he might not. Little things like that.   
  
Eventually, Claude falls silent and stays curled up against Dimitri's side with his feet on the couch and his knees against his chest. All he does is be with him while Dimitri works, the light of the laptop and a small table lamp the only lights on in the whole apartment.   
  
It's... nice. Comforting. With the darkness of the apartment kept at bay with just a tiny little lamplight, Claude feels as if it's just him and Dimitri in the entire world as his boyfriend clicks carefully along the keys and the sounds of the city seem so very distant. Claude doesn't even realize he's starting to doze off until the keys stop, and Dimitri's sturdy arm begins to wind around him again from where it had left momentarily for better typing. Rousing himself, Claude shakes his head. "No, no. I'm fine. I'm awake. No need to worry, Mitya."   
  
"Yes, well, you're not going to be for much longer it seems," Dimitri chides gently, smiling in that soft and tender way which never fails in making Claude want to bury himself into his boyfriend and never let go. "Come - I was starting to get drowsy as well."   
  
"Oh," Claude says simply, feeling a pang of something sort of like disappointment in the very pit of him. He's pretty good at hiding his inner feelings, honestly. It's been something he's done for a lot of his life, for varying reasons, good and bad. One little syllable like that can't give him away.   
  
Or, at least, it didn't used to, before he started really dating a guy in earnest, a guy he could _let_ himself date in earnest, because it seems as though Dimitri has learned so much with the years they've spent together. That, or Claude is more exhausted than he thought, because Dimitri pauses with his fingers rubbing along Claude's shoulder. "...Are you feeling anxious, Claude?" he asks, in that quiet and painfully genuine tone he's always had since the very first time they went on a date.   
  
If it weren't the middle of the night, Claude would give a loud laugh to dispel the very idea. As it is, all he can do is chuckle quietly and smile, which doesn't quite carry the same effect. "Hey, what does a guy like me have to be anxious about?"   
  
"I would say there is quite a lot," Dimitri says bluntly. Honestly, sometimes it's like being friends with Raphael. They're both just _so_ straightforward and oblivious that things go over their heads... and yet, at the same time, it occasionally lets them get right to the crux of the issue, no dallying. It's enough to make Claude wonder if he has a type. As frustrating as it can sometimes be.... It's endearing, too. Claude can't even say it isn't good, at times like these.   
  
Sighing in surrender, even as he smiles, Claude sinks into Dimitri's embrace again. "Alright, you got me," he says, closing his eyes. This way, he can enjoy the slow travel of Dimitri's fingers trailing from his shoulder up to the nape of his neck. There's something... _nice_ in how his fingers curl into the hair there. "It feels like if I try to go to sleep in our nice comfortable bed in our nice quiet room, I won't be _able_ to go to sleep. There's so much to think about for tomorrow that I almost don't know where to start. It's going to keep me up. I know it is." Opening his eyes with a sigh, Claude reaches for his water again. "I thought a little walk and something to drink would help... but it's been your typing that's actually made a dent so far."   
  
"So you simply needed some white noise..." Dimitri waits for him to finish his latest gulp of water before he gets up onto his feet, offering Claude his hand again. This time, Claude lets him, and accepts it. "I think everyone needs a little bit of something at times. Something to let us know we're safe - where we are, who we're with. Something that tells us we don't need to think."   
  
"Something from our days when we'd just hunker out in the wilderness, huh?" Claude muses, keeping his glass while Dimitri shuts his laptop. Even when the lamp gets flicked off, there's still just enough light from outside, the city's preserving glow, to guide them through the apartment. "Too much noise, and it sets every sense on fire. No noise, and our brain is convinced something has to be wrong. Something like that, right?"   
  
It's a good thing their room is the one on the bottom portion of the apartment; they don't have to shut up completely on the way back. That's the kind of thing which would have been impossible in Claude's old place. Back there... Ha. He'd have been lucky if he could have carried on a completely whispered conversation while escorting someone back to his bedroom. The more likely scenario would have been just not talking at all.   
  
Then again... It's not as if he ever brought anyone back to his bedroom in his old apartment before anyway. Put that down as one of many things he's glad he can give to Dimitri.   
  
Humming thoughtfully, Dimitri holds open the door to their room ( _their_ room, theirs) so that Claude can enter first before he ducks in after him. "It makes sense, doesn't it?" he says, guiding Claude over to their bed. Instead of trying to tuck Claude in their blankets, he crawls in alongside him, and pulls the covers up loosely to their shoulders. Easy to slip out of if they want to get up again, but just warm enough to be comfortable. Well, okay, so it's not exactly warm enough for Claude's tastes, but he just wiggles up against Dimitri to make up for that, both of them propped up by the headboard.   
  
Once he's made sure Claude is comfortable, Dimitri keeps going. "I think it also helps, in your case, that it gives your mind something to focus on. You think _so_ much... So I've noticed that when you don't have something in front of you to direct all that energy at, your mind begins to make up things to pick apart. In fact, I would even say that your mind makes up more than what you would focus on otherwise."   
  
"Should I take that as a compliment?" Claude asks dryly, smiling around the rim of his cup. He takes one last sip before he leans over Dimitri, putting it on the bedside table next to - yeah, it's Dimitri's phone.   
  
"Well, you are incredibly brilliant in part because your mind is so often turning over things." Dimitri smiles, using the blanket as an excuse to tug Claude closer. Claude hadn't even thought that was possible. That shows _him_. "Yet your mind is also a double edged sword. For example... If I had to guess, I would imagine one of the things weighing so heavily on you is that interview tomorrow, isn't it?"   
  
Everyone is going to keep calling him out on that, he feels like... With Dimitri especially, it doesn't feel as though he'll be able to get away with it. Then again, he promised to Dimitri that he'd never lie to him. Then again, Claude knows it might be good for _him_.   
  
So he lets out a breath and closes his eyes, listening to the steady and quiet sound of Dimitri's breathing. Maybe his boyfriend had a point in his theory about white noise. Such a simple rhythm helps ground him. "This could affect a lot. We both know that. Or maybe it's so inconsequential that it will affect nothing, but I don't want that either."   
  
There's no need to explain what he means by that. Dimitri is already nodding, a hand rubbing at his jaw in thought. "You want it to have an impact, for the better... Whether that's drawing more attention to the band, or to the causes you constantly fight for. So you're worried that you might do the exact opposite, aren't you?"   
  
"Jeez, Dimitri," Claude murmurs, turning his grin against his boyfriend's bare chest. "You read me too easily. That's a little unfair, don't you think?"   
  
He can feel the kiss that's pressed into his hair. "As though you don't allow me to see the way your thoughts and feelings weave," Dimitri murmurs, nuzzling into his curls. Today really hasn't been one for styling. "Even with that, I've had more than enough time to be with you. I love you so much... Of course I'm going to pay attention to every bit of you, if you permit it. That's the benefit that comes with dating, isn't it...?"   
  
It really has been a good few years since the two of them have started dating... And Dimitri is right. They really have had so much time to be together, to learn each other and love each other, in so many different ways.   
  
For example, Claude has had plenty of time to learn about Dimitri's life before him, like his situation with his sister, or the long line of terrible therapists he had before life and Sylvain lead him to the Eisners. In turn, it's as Dimitri has said. He's had years of his own to get to know Claude. Years to learn things about Claude that he doesn't often show other people, whether consciously or not. It's a trust he's earned, a trust he deserves.   
  
Yet knowing all of that, knowing that simple objective fact, doesn't stop the heat that rises up onto Claude's face. He always gets like this when Dimitri says he loves him. He's so _earnest_ , and _sweet_ , and... loving. Claude smiles like it's going out of style. How can he do anything else in the face of this love? "Introducing you to romance really was me unleashing a beast onto the world, wasn't it?" he asks. "Well, I don't mind, since I get to be beauty in this scenario."   
  
Dimitri makes a small dismayed sound. "Oh- that's clever. I wish I had thought of it... It's such a good compliment, although I don't know if it quite counts when you're complimenting yourself..."  
  
Turning his head, Claude presses a kiss against his jaw. "We can pretend you got it first," he says cheekily, winking. "Consider it me giving you a freebie."   
  
"Well, if you insist... Then, I'll pretend I was very witty, and gave you a wonderful compliment." Dimitri turns his head to make the kiss a proper one. "...If you don't want to talk about it, then we don't have to, you know. I don't want to push you, but... I did notice you didn't answer the question."   
  
"And you tried to dismiss the idea of you having any insight," Claude murmurs, before he lets out a slow sigh and sinks into Dimitri once more. "But no, I do. I do want to talk about it. I mean, at least, as far as I can tell." He chuckles, perhaps a little self depreciating.   
  
It's not something that happens very often for him. Claude has had to fight for his self worth, his confidence, his sheer and immense talent. Why should he ever let something pull him down from that? But... Maybe, just once, he can step down and let Dimitri see all of that. With him, it doesn't feel like a potential mistake.   
  
"It's difficult... I'm so excited for it. I really am. And of course everyone is looking to me to completely nail it, just as I always do."   
  
Dimitri nods, understanding. "There's a certain rewarding feeling that comes with being a leader," he murmurs. "You get to help people, draw them up to their full potential, pull everything to a successful ending... but then you have to deal with being the one who takes responsibility for what happens, and deal with all the pressure that comes with so many eyes on you."  
  
Yeah... Dimitri would get this. The position in his company, the one his family has apparently always passed down along the line, is apparently a pretty high one, and Dimitri isn't the kind of person who coasts along with minimum effort. He's put himself in up to his elbows, in the best way possible.   
  
Claude is almost pretty sure all of this, from long before he ever met the guy, has probably been the subject of more than a few therapy sessions... but it's not his place just yet to poke his nose into all of it. There are some things that still take a little bit of time to get to. Claude is sure they have it.   
  
Instead, he takes the understanding and comfort for what they are. "I mean, I wouldn't change it for anything in the world, obviously," he says, nodding against Dimitri's shoulder. "If I could make this a full time job, I absolutely would. And no-" He raises a finger to Dimitri's lips, grinning at the sight of him closing his mouth before he's even had a chance to get a single word out. "As sweet as it is of you to offer, I don't want you to be my sugar daddy while I pursue my musical activist dreams. I like having that bit of dependence."   
  
"I just wanted to help," he offers weakly, in that tone of voice that says he's never going to get over being referred to as a sugar daddy at any point in his life. It's cute. Claude loves hearing it.  
  
"I know you do." Claude smiles a little more before he pulls himself back on track. "Still, if I mess up somehow... I don't know when I'll next get a chance like this. It's taken so much time, so much energy, and so many protests before a reporter noticed us. That's not even mentioning the huge amount of luck. Cali from Ampithea News might think this is all something special, but what if it had been someone else down there covering the march and the town hall meeting? What if they thought of me and the rest of the band as only troublemakers? Or that the march didn't really have a reason to happen? If I lose this chance, the next time might have someone who just... genuinely doesn't care."   
  
Dimitri patiently begins to rub along his shoulder again. "You'd get another chance."   
  
"You say it so confidently," Claude muses, smiling a little. He doesn't want to say _I don't need empty condolences_ , even if it's true. This is an expectation he needs to temper himself with, so that his hope doesn't get too out of control. If it's restrained, held back... Then a potential failure won't hurt as much. He can get back up onto his feet that much quicker, search out alternate routes if he hasn't found them   
already. Instead of saying that, he just prompts, "So where's all that faith come from, huh?"  
  
Dimitri just looks at him. "You," he says simply, matter of factly. When all Claude can do is blink for a second in surprise, Dimitri gently tugs the blanket up around them a little more and tucks it around Claude's shoulders. With that done, he reaches underneath it until he can finds Claude's hand. The smile on his face is... something. "Claude... I have dated you for three years, now. I hope to date you for many more years to come. Perhaps..." A faint blush rises onto his face, adding to that sweet earnestness in his eye. "Perhaps one day, I can go further in that direction, if you will allow me."  
  
Something like a firecracker seems to go off in his chest, and Claude feels breathless at what Dimitri is shyly hinting at. "Oh," he says, trying to think of what to say, coming to terms with just how much _he_ wants that sort of happy ending too, that happy beginning to the rest of their lives.  
  
Of course, that's not the point of this whole conversation, and Dimitri presses closer before Claude has a chance to refocus himself. "Three years may not be enough time to completely know a person... In fact, I understand that I'll need many more of those years. But I think that's been enough time for me to understand the core of you. Not the details, not the intricacies, perhaps... But the core, yes, absolutely. And at that core... I know you have worked so hard for this moment, and you have worked so hard to make the band what it is." His hand gently presses down a little further against Claude's. "So I know you will do absolutely incredibly in this interview. If for some reason it does not have the impact that you desire... Then I know you will continue on, and that hard work, your dedication and charisma and justice, will draw eyes to you once more. And until that next chance happens..."   
  
Dimitri gently guides Claude's hand out from underneath the sheets, guiding it to his lips like he did so long ago in a zoo parking lot underneath the setting sun.   
  
"I will be there to help you stand tall. To help you continue moving forward. All of our friends- they will be there for the same reason. So don't feel the need to hesitate, Claude. Don't believe you need to hold yourself back, or tie yourself into knots as you prepare for it." From beneath his lashes, Dimitri smiles at him. "Do as you have always done, and know that you will succeed. Whether then, or later. We will be there every step of the way."   
  
Claude is barely conscious of his own actions. All there is for him is Dimitri, and he smiles back as he reaches up to thread his fingers into that beautiful blond hair of his. "How did I ever last this long without you, huh?" he asks playfully.   
  
Typically, Dimitri takes the question completely upfront, even as he nudges his head up into Claude's fingers. "Oh, you're stunning," he answers honestly, absolutely glowing with the way he looks at Claude so adoringly. "I have no doubt that you got through life with that alone."   
  
If he's going to say it like that, well, Claude guesses he has no other choice but to preen a little. "I know I am," he says, grinning widely. "But I guess having a few great friends has helped, hasn't it?"   
  
"They are all certainly impressive," Dimitri agrees with a smile. "So... Do you think that will help you be able to go to sleep a little better, now?"  
  
"Hmmm, I don't know." Claude slides his arms downwards, one arm coming to rest along his shoulders, and his other hand snags Dimitri's eyepatch right underneath the elastic so that he can slide it right off. By this point, the scarring has become familiar, and so has the emptiness that Dimitri occasionally lets him have a glimpse of. All he does is lean in closer, pressing a kiss to Dimitri's brow. "Maybe this time it'll stick... but I think a little more white noise couldn't hurt."  
  
Dimitri leans into his kiss, his touch, like he'll never get enough of it, a sunflower to daylight. "Mmm, I could find an app on my phone. I think ASMR videos are quite popular nowadays..."   
  
Using the way Dimitri follows his touch, Claude gently tugs at his shoulders until Dimitri is laying over him, their legs tangled together. "I don't think I want some random ASMR app," he murmurs, smiling up at Dimitri. "I think I'd like you just talking to me. In particular..." His eyes must be shining. "Maybe you could tell me a little more about us maybe marrying one day in the future, now that you've brought it up."  
  
A wave of pleasant pink begins to wash across Dimitri's face, but it doesn't stop his embarrassed little smile. "I suppose, now that I've mentioned it... It's only fair that I explain more, isn't it?"  
  
Claude graciously allows him to shift his position in bed, all the better for the two of them to curl up against each other. "Definitely only fair," he sighs, smiling as he closes his eyes. "So start with the engagement. Tell me the perfect way you want to propose to me. Do you have a ring in mind...?"   
  
Dimitri's chuckle rolls throughout his chest, right into Claude, and he savors the way it feels. He's always preferred making people laugh in comparison to other reactions they could make... But he thinks it really means something special and satisfying when he hears it, feels it, coming from Dimitri. "Honestly, I've only glanced through my options a few times, when I've felt so sleepy as to be foolish, or we haven't had a chance to speak with one another in a while... Something that I suppose will happen far less, now."  
  
Just the reminder has Claude's smile stretching wider. "It certainly will," he confirms, looking forward to the days ahead. Daring, even, to look forward to how their relationship may change, and how they may become closer.   
  
Continuing on, Dimitri says, "Most of them seem too fancy, or too overly expensive for no reason... I think you deserve the best, of course, but when I thought deeper... I thought you deserved better than that. Better than expensive."   
  
That earns a quiet laugh from Claude. "Better than expensive," he murmurs into Dimitri's chest. "Mm. I like that."   
  
"I thought you would." He can hear the smile in Dimitri's voice. "So, I was thinking.... This is only a thought, of course, I'm not sure yet, but- I could find an antique in some store or another... Something old, and unique, just for you... If I can just find something that fits you perfectly... That would be ideal. And then there's the proposal..." He's cut off by his own yawn, a little noise that can barely be described. Sleep is coming for them soon. Both of them. "Mm. I feel like you wouldn't mind the spectacle of a public proposal..."  
  
Before he can answer, Claude yawns as well. It's truly a contagious thing. Definitely nothing to do with how sleepy he's feeling himself, lulled by the sound of Dimitri's voice. "They're definitely always fun," he mumbles, forcing his brain to keep the words flowing. He knows that's not the point of asking Dimitri to tell him about all of this - well, it's part of the point, and part not. But still... He likes this. Talking about their future together. "But I'd be happy for anything you could come up with... and I know there are a lot of people when it comes to proposals like that..." This proposal should be for _both_ of them, not only Claude. He doesn't want a crowd to ruin such a special day for Dimitri.   
  
One of Dimitri's fingers is twirling through his hair, curling it around the digit. It's comforting. "There are," Dimitri agrees. "But public can be not too bad, depending on how it's done. So I'll do something special like that for you... And then we'll get to live together, just like this, but we'll know we're engaged..."   
  
Claude tries to imagine it, nearly lulling himself to sleep as he does so. Not a lot would actually change, would it? Sure, there would be a lot of paperwork to fill out as they'd become legally married, that's a given. Depending on their marriage- where would they do it? He'd have to write out invitations- not that most of their friends would need them, but, still. His parents should probably need to know. He doesn't think he'll much invite any of his brothers. Then, depending on just what they want to do, they'll have to figure out the scheduling of it all, and getting clothing done, if they even want to deal with that sort of thing at _all_...  
  
While Claude gets lost in his own head, lost further in dreams that might swallow him up whole, Dimitri continues to speak. "Then we can have a wedding... I'm not sure if there's a particular way you want to do it, any..." Another yawn. "Any Almyran customs... I'd be okay with that if you wanted it to happen. Or maybe we could get Mercedes to be the one to marry us... She's legally allowed to, you know..."   
  
An idea hits him while he's a foot into dreamland, and Claude's smile is a kiss unto its own against Dimitri's bare chest. "We should... dress up. Do our wedding while disguising it as a Halloween party. We can say that our outfits are our costumes... We'll tell no one else besides Mercedes. They'll only all realize when we're exchanging our vows... Can you imagine the wedding pictures?"   
  
Dimitri is already muffling his laugh into Claude's hair before that last sentence is even finished, half asleep though the sound may be. "Oh Claude... No... Felix would kill us. I think Lorenz would expire on the spot... He'd be so upset at not getting to dress his best at your wedding..."   
  
"Ha. He should know better by now..."   
  
The two of them drift off this way, holding each other, snug in their bed, and discussing this silly little thought, this hopeful future. Wrapped up in exhaustion, they don't hold back in the absurdity of trying to plan a Halloween wedding prank- what food would be a good mix that wouldn't let anyone catch onto the plot, if they would still have it in Dimitri's apartment or rent somewhere out to make it something grander, all the fun little details they could hide in the decorations. What if they make the cake toppers into zombie grooms? Little paper bats plastered to the walls and carrying little paper wedding rings? It's silly, and fun... and Claude has no idea when he falls asleep during all of it.  
  
Then again... Maybe that's only to be expected. The harder parts of reality settle in sooner or later, and there's still a lot of unpacking to do in the morning, and an interview he will throw his all at. But... In times like this...   
  
In times like this, reality and his dreams seem to blend so perfectly together where he is, safe and happy in Dimitri's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the final chapter for V3! Thanks to everyone who has read this far, whether you've been here from Ch 1 or read through everything just now. I would have liked to finish this in June, but stuff just got in my way.
> 
> Ch 10 was technically finished in April. However, by the time I'd gotten around to posting Ch 9, things had changed and I felt a need to rewrite Ch 10. I'm going to go into that a little further in an additional comment in the comment section, since there's only so much room here. It is a bit more serious, however, so I understand if people skip that.
> 
> I hope this didn't feel too abrupt an ending. However, I had no idea how else to finish it, since it didn't feel right to keep dragging things out. I ultimately wanted to end the story on a still happy and hopeful note, and a setting a bit in the future with some flashbacks to show how their lives have been going seemed like it would work best for what I wanted. I have a lot of other stories that I want to tell in this silly little modern AU, but I couldn't find any way to slide them into this fic, or make them transition to an ending, when the focus has been Dimitri and Claude's romantic life together. So, oneshots will pop up later!
> 
> At any rate, V3 was always meant to just be a lot of fluff, humor, and overall feel good stuff. This was all highly self indulgent from the very start! For example, me just handwaving characters getting over their various shit because I want them to grow to be better people, but can they have done it already so that I can focus on DMCL holding hands? lmao.
> 
> So I'm glad that other people enjoyed it as well.
> 
> Apologies to any Beagles fans... I have nothing against anyone, and even have ideas on how they fit into this AU. I just. have made. zero progress on that route. So I don't feel comfortable writing their voices, lmao, and I want to do them justice. They are planned for a couple V3 fics, however! So look forward to that.
> 
> Fun fact, midway through writing this, I was hit with the desire to make this a modern fantasy sort of fic, but I'd already posted a few chapters by that point, and it would be too abrupt an addition, I felt, lmao.... One day. One day coffeeshop AU, but also with wyverns.
> 
> I'd like to give thanks to amateur_warden on twitter for drawing this adorable little sketch of Dimitri doing his hair nice! I missed it at the time, not helped by twitter fucking up my account, and I'm delighted to have found it recently:  
> https://twitter.com/amateur_warden/status/1241989888167178242?s=20
> 
> (Relatedly, I'm now jamesphobos on twitter and also curiouscat, if people are interested in that.)
> 
> As a reminder, I'm still looking for questions people may have on schizophrenia, for a future collab I'll be doing with Raile that goes a little more into Dimitri's schizophrenia. No judgment! So don't worry about being offensive. It's meant to help spread information. If you're not certain where to start, Raile once wrote this informal doc about the schizophrenia spectrum:   
> https://docs.google.com/document/d/15kb7ViuejjXxrl0JEzWzcKPXILkNoBZ86yuoZ1jYar0/edit
> 
> Additionally, it's not too late to comment about what fic you'd like to see from me next! Just check out the comment section in Ch 9 and respond to my comment there where I list my planned fics, if you don't see them in my list of works whenever you get to this.
> 
> Thank you again to everyone who has read, and the many comments I've gotten - especially those who've commented on every chapter and made my heart swell up. This is my first FE3H fic, and it absolutely isn't what I was planning to make! I wasn't planning to make it this long either, lmao. But it is what it is, and I'm glad that it's all turned out so well. I'm still eternally losing my shit that this fic has warranted fanart, tbh. V3 is my biggest hit of a fic so far, and it's an honor that everyone has loved it so much. Hopefully you all enjoy the other things I'll end up writing, for this AU and otherwise!
> 
> Thank you once again to Adila, whose comic and art started all of this.
> 
> Stay safe, stay well.


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